As vice president of the Research, Conservation and Exploration Group at the National Geographic Society, Dr. John Francis oversees the Society's funding of scientific research and is a firm believer in the power of film to inspire conservation action. A biologist and expert on marine mammals, John received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz and spent five years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. He is a seasoned field biologist whose research has taken him to far-flung places around the globe.