Grace Cordsen - Program Director, Assistant Program Director

Grace Cordsen

Program Director, Assistant Program Director

Grace is an explorer and entrepreneur with experience in Polar expedition travel, as well as a research background in culture, cuisine, food sustainability, and tourism.

Grace is a passionate explorer and entrepreneur with extensive work experience in Arctic and Antarctic expedition travel, as well as a research background in culture, cuisine, food sustainability, tourism, and guiding. Since graduating from Princeton University, Grace has worked extensively on expedition vessels in both poles as both a staff member and researcher.

Grace’s past research, written work, and photography examines cuisines as a manifestation of cultural heritage. This past winter Grace was one of the youngest women to manage a camp on the Antarctic interior, where she had the chance to visit the South Pole.

Earlier this summer, Grace led student groups for the Smithsonian in Europe and later was aboard a ship voyaging from Svalbard to the geographic North Pole as a researcher studying the visual record of the Arctic and how it can be used to demonstrate climate and perceptual shifts.

Grace currently is a freelance content creator and writer for media groups such as Arctic Focus, Climate and Capital, and more. In February 2024, Grace and Planet Froth Productions ventured to Antarctica to film a pilot and sizzle reel for the next generation of travel television, with a focus on what responsible travel looks like.

This coming fall Grace will be attending Columbia University for a master’s in sustainability management. While currently living in San Francisco, Grace is from New York and is defined by her adventurous spirit and contagious love of life which permeates into all that she does.