For HX Expeditions Chief Scientist Dr Verena Meraldi, leadership in science at sea starts with rigour, not theatre.
“It’s not about the number of lectures or how scenic the backdrop is, it’s about credibility and intent,” she says, setting out a model built on “long-term research partnerships that matter to the scientific community”, “purpose-built onboard infrastructure”, and “scientific integrity, doing things properly, even when it’s inconvenient”.
That approach is helping define how expedition cruising can move beyond passive education towards active participation, particularly in Antarctica, where HX has made science central to the guest experience. For the travel trade, the strategy is significant because it speaks to a growing demand for deeper, more purposeful travel experiences, while also showing how operators can strengthen their sustainability and education credentials without reducing the commercial appeal of the voyage.
From Antarctica as spectacle to Antarctica as classroom
Meraldi traces her own thinking back to her first Antarctica voyage in 2007, which she describes as a turning point.
“Antarctica stripped everything back. The scale, the silence, the fragility, it forces you to confront how little we truly control,” she says.
What stayed with her most was not only the landscape, but the way knowledge changed behaviour in real time.
“What struck me most was how knowledge, properly shared, altered behaviour almost immediately: people walked more carefully, asked better questions, and started to self-regulate.”
That insight shaped her first moves after becoming HX Chief Scientist in 2018. Rather than treating science as an optional extra, she wanted it embedded into the voyage itself.
“My first priority was, in addition to offering our vessels as platforms of opportunity, to embed science into the daily rhythm of the voyage, not keep it apart or as ‘optional enrichment’,” she says.
The result was investment in science spaces onboard, broader research collaborations and a redesign of how information is delivered to guests. As Meraldi puts it, the aim was to ensure “learning wasn’t abstract, but tied to what they were seeing, touching, and feeling in real time”.
That thinking reflects a wider shift in expedition travel. Antarctica is still a bucket-list destination, but operators are increasingly being judged on the quality of interpretation, the strength of their environmental practices and the depth of their scientific contribution. HX is positioning science not simply as added value, but as part of the core product.
Designing onboard spaces that change behaviour
HX describes the Science Centre as the heart of the onboard experience, but Meraldi is clear that the space has to function as more than a branded attraction.
“We design the Science Centre as an open, working space, kind of an interactive museum. Equipment is visible. Data is live. Questions are encouraged. Participation is celebrated.”
The intention is to make science visible, accessible and part of the natural flow of the day. Guests might start with observations in the field, revisit those ideas in informal conversations and then return to the Science Centre to reflect on what they have seen.
“Guests might start the day making observations, discuss them informally over coffee, see the same concept reinforced during a landing, and then return to the Science Centre to reflect or analyse,” she says.
For Meraldi, repetition matters because it changes the pace of how people engage with a destination.
“That repetition, without pressure, helps guests slow down and begin to observe like scientists: patiently, critically, and with humility.”
She says some of the most important Antarctic concepts are also the ones guests may not initially expect. “Sea ice as habitat, not empty space” is one of them, particularly when travellers realise “how much life depends on ice they once thought was ‘just frozen water’”.
Another is the role of phytoplankton. “Looking at plankton under a microscope often produces the biggest ‘aha’ moment of the voyage,” she says.
Meraldi also wants guests to understand the value of long-term monitoring and the difference between weather and climate. In both cases, she says the message lands best through participation rather than presentation.
“What makes these ideas stick is doing, not being told.”
Why citizen science matters beyond the voyage
Citizen science has become a defining part of the HX model, but Meraldi says project selection is tightly controlled.
“We select projects that meet three criteria: clear scientific value, ethical robustness, particularly around wildlife disturbance, [and] accessibility, so guests can meaningfully contribute with proper guidance.”
She points to programs such as NASA GLOBE Observer, iNaturalist, eBird and Happywhale as examples of projects that work well because they have “strong validation processes and clear protocols”.
Onboard support is critical. “Our teams provide training, oversight, and context, so participation strengthens the data rather than diluting it,” she says, adding that guests are also encouraged to continue contributing after they return home.
That continuity is central to how HX measures success. Meraldi says participation numbers alone do not tell the full story.
“The real indicators come later. It’s how guests talk about Antarctica months or years after they return. Whether they correct misconceptions. Whether they observe and/or photograph wildlife differently. Whether they advocate for protection.”
She believes the strongest evidence of impact is behavioural rather than statistical. “Behaviour change shows up in the language used, the choices made, and confidence acquired, not just statistics.”
That same thinking shapes her view of Antarctica’s broader influence on travellers. “Antarctica doesn’t just change where people travel—it changes how,” she says.
The changes are often subtle but lasting. “People move more deliberately. They respect distance. They listen more. They become less extractive and more inquisitive in how they experience places.”
Science helps explain why those behaviours matter. “It gives guests the why behind the rules and the confidence to defend them,” she says. “Antarctica becomes a reference point for how to behave elsewhere.”
For travel advisors and expedition sellers, that message is commercially relevant. As travellers increasingly look for experiences that align with personal values, operators that can demonstrate genuine scientific and environmental integrity are likely to stand out. The promise is not only access to a remote destination, but a more meaningful way of engaging with it.
Scaling without losing credibility
Looking ahead, Meraldi says growth in science at sea must not come at the expense of standards.
“Scaling means pathways, not shortcuts,” she says.
For HX, that means building deeper partnerships, including with the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, while maintaining what she sees as the essentials of rigour and accessibility.
“The focus should be on layered experiences: entry points for curious beginners, depth for those who want more, and continuity beyond the voyage,” she says.
Her view is that Antarctica should never become a passive travel trophy. “Antarctica must remain a catalyst for stewardship, not a box to tick, and science is what keeps it honest.”
That philosophy also extends into everyday life. Meraldi says the most valuable outcomes are often the smallest and most durable: “paying attention, asking questions, changing habits, sharing responsibly, staying curious”.
Citizen science, she adds, is what keeps that connection alive after the ship has sailed. “They remind guests that contributing to knowledge isn’t confined to Antarctica, it’s something they can do wherever they are.”
For the expedition sector, that may be the strongest measure of all. In Meraldi’s view, science at sea works best when it does more than inform guests in the moment. It should help create travellers who return home more curious, more careful and better equipped to advocate for the places they visit.
