Bringing the Ocean to Dry Land: OceanX Education Launches the OceanX Residency

OceanX Education is developing a new Residency program as the next step in furthering OceanX’s mission of bringing the unreachable within reach. By supporting a residency program of mid to senior career stage, OceanX will take the most cutting edge, from-the-depths data, science and media, and push the capacities and reach of people working in the fields of immersive media, digital arts, VR/XR, gaming, AI, and data science. We aim for nothing less than the ability to enable and widely distribute new science communication to communities everywhere. This program is designed to support people towards meaningful impact that fosters stewardship of the ocean in their own fields.  

These programs will empower emerging scientists and storytellers to continue their shared passion for merging ocean science with compelling storytelling and spark public curiosity, inspire understanding, and drive collective action to protect and preserve our ocean. 

Designed for mid- to senior-career professionals, the residency supports those working at the intersection of science and creative technology, from immersive media and VR to gaming, AI, and data visualization. 

By bringing together advanced tools of exploration, the precision of science, and the language of storytelling, the program sparks new ways of communicating ocean science and transforming research into experiences that engage communities everywhere. 

OceanX Education is piloting two tracks under the Residency program that bring science and creativity together in powerful ways: 

• Early Career Explorer Residency – This program invites early-career ocean scientists to join the OceanX workforce, translating their research into immersive media that broadens the reach of our mission to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.

• Pioneer Works Partnership Residency – In partnership with Pioneer Works, an artist- and scientist-led cultural center, we’re co-developing a residency for a digital artist to create work that brings OceanX’s mission to wider audiences through established cultural institutions. 

A Pilot for Global Collaboration 

OceanX has already begun bringing this vision to life through the first six-month OceanX Education Residency pilot, featuring Nada Abdelkader, a Tunisia-based seagrass restoration scientist and alum of our Early Career Explorers program. Nada’s work exemplifies the heart of the residency, transforming scientific research on seagrass restoration into an immersive experience that demonstrates the importance of seagrass ecosystems and community-based restoration efforts, as modeled in her home community in Tunisia.   

In collaboration with the OceanX Immersive Media team, she developed Seagrass Stories, an interactive game that brings the hidden world of seagrass ecosystems to life through play and discovery. This game debuted at the OceanX Summit, where Nada engaged with the audience of scientists, policy makers and funders to share about her personal research and the impact this game can have to increase seagrass restoration efforts globally. Further, as part of her residency, Nada recently returned from the Young Explorers – Singapore transit, where she served as faculty, teaching participants about seagrass ecosystems and their connection to marine biodiversity. 

Insights from this pilot will guide the launch of our full residency program in 2026, testing how creative collaboration between scientific and cultural institutions can amplify impact and deepen public engagement with ocean science. 

Why It Matters 

Nada Abdelkader embodies the residency’s vision. Through her ongoing project Seagrass Stories, an interactive game debuted at the OceanX Summit, Nada is working on transforming marine restoration into an accessible, digital experience for learners and communities worldwide. 

Her work didn’t stop there. Supported by the residency’s stipend, mentorship, and creative freedom, Nada is developing a Mediterranean-focused community restoration initiative and leading educational workshops—including workshops on seagrass science and conservation for the Young Explorers transit from Singapore to Timor-Leste in 2025. 

“I want to show people that ecological restoration isn’t just a science method or field activity. It’s community, creativity, and connection. This residency has given me the opportunity to translate my research into something people can experience and learn from. Ocean restoration and conservation belongs to everyone, and I'm proud to be bringing a story I've been close to for years, to the rest of the world.” 

Looking Ahead 

The OceanX Residency represents more than a creative opportunity. It’s a blueprint for how science, technology, and storytelling can work together to inspire ocean stewardship at scale. Through this program, we’re exploring a vital question: What happens when the tools of exploration are placed in the hands of artists, scientists and educators? 

Our goal is simple yet ambitious: to bring people closer to the world beneath the waves and inspire public stewardship to protect and conserve it.