The Explorers Club honors URI’s Kenna Rubin

February 5, 2026
Kenna Rubin aboard the multi-purpose vessel MMA Valour on an expedition to study drowned Hawaiian reefs in 2023. (Photos courtesy of ML Parker media)

Graduate School of Oceanography professor among 50 visionaries selected for 2026

February 5, 2025

The Explorers Club has named Kenna Harmony Rubin, a professor at URI GSO, to its annual list of people who are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration.

The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. The organization has recognized 50 individuals each year since 2021 who are on the cutting edge of exploration around the world. The EC50 list amplifies the voices of these changemakers.

“The recognition affirms my career choices and the values that have guided my work,” said Rubin. “The Explorers Club represents so much of what I aspire to professionally: asking meaningful questions, exploring places that are difficult to access, bringing back and sharing knowledge, respecting different cultures, and mentoring the next generation.”

Rubin joined the Graduate School of Oceanography in 2023 as the associate dean of research after spending more than 30 years as an accomplished researcher and educator at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Rubin studied cores of coral reefs and volcanic rocks on an International Ocean Discovery Program expedition in 2023 in Hawaii.

“Coming to URI represented a new beginning and the next step after a successful 30-year career in research and teaching at the University of Hawaiʻi,” said Rubin. “I was already very familiar with URI and its longstanding strengths in volcanology before arriving, having worked alongside several faculty colleagues here and nearby on research focused on volcanism and the deep sea.”

As a member of the Graduate School of Oceanography leadership team, Rubin focused on advancing broad research, innovation, and academic initiatives, helping to lay the foundation for future growth in partnership with industry and government.

When Rubin’s appointment as associate dean concluded in mid-2025, she became a professor of oceanography at URI. She has taught courses in volcanology, participated in research expeditions, obtained extramural research funding, and engaged in science outreach. This semester, she is mentoring two oceanography students and teaching a Volcanoes and the Environment course.

“I’m focused on delivering high-impact, globally recognized research and educating URI students and the people of Rhode Island. Being named to the EC50 list adds a meaningful platform to that work.” said Rubin, who grew up in Los Angeles, California and currently lives in Wickford, Rhode Island.

Rubin is leading international research programs on submarine volcanism in Hawaiʻi, Tonga, the Caribbean, and the Eastern Pacific, while also building laboratory infrastructure to support cutting-edge, shore-based geological and environmental research at URI. She’s planning to revive a complementary research program she had in Hawaii on coral reef evolution, sea-level change, and what those dynamics mean for coastal ecosystems and communities.

Rubin was nominated for The Explorers Club honor by Dawn Wright, the chief scientist of Esri, a global market leader in geographic information system software, location intelligence, and mapping. Wright is an expert in the application of geographic information system technology to the field of ocean and coastal science.

“I’ve had the privilege of observing Kenna’s work over the years, and I can say without hesitation that her contributions to the field of exploration and scientific discovery are both extraordinary and inspiring,” wrote Wright. “Kenna Rubin is a rare blend of fearless adventurer, brilliant scientist, and deeply thoughtful communicator. Her work spans some of the most remote and challenging environments on Earth—from the ocean floor to volcanic calderas—and she approaches each endeavor with unmatched intellectual curiosity and rigor.”

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club has supported scientific expeditions of all disciplines. Members of The Explorers Club have been the first humans to the North Pole, South Pole, the summit of Mount Everest, the deepest point in the ocean, and the surface of the moon. Notable members include URI’s Bob Ballard, Teddy Roosevelt, Kathryn Sullivan, Jeff Bezos, Walter Cronkite, James Cameron, Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, Edmund Hillary, John Glenn, and Sally Ride.

“To be recognized by an organization with a legendary legacy of member accomplishments is profoundly meaningful to me,” said Rubin.