Allison Fong is a microbial oceanographer and sea ice ecologist specializing in the roles microbes play in biogeochemistry and marine ecology. Formerly, she was a researcher at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (Germany) and an Ecosystem Team Co-coordinator for the MOSAiC Project (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate). Now based in Rhode Island (USA), she is an independent researcher examining ecosystem-level processes in polar regions. She is a National Geographic Explorer grantee (2023, 2024) with active projects in the Arctic and Antarctic. Prior to working in polar regions, she earned her MSc and PhD in biological oceanography at the University of Hawai¢i at Mānoa examining open ocean particle dynamics and nitrogen cycling. She continues to conduct work on marine and sea ice ecosystems and is expanding into more work at the intersection of science and art. Much of her current work builds on concepts of microbes as great engineers and integrators of our existence in time-space. She serves on the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Education and Engagement Committee, leading the ASLO Storytellers Series initiative since 2016. She also serves on the Polar Educators International (PEI) Council, which aims to bring polar science to classrooms and provide researchers with resources to strengthen communication of their science. She also consults for the Ocean Conservancy on Central Arctic Ocean issues and for the Ocean Visions organization, which facilitates mult-isector collaborations to explore and advance responsible and effective ocean-based climate solutions. Locally, she volunteers with Farm Fresh RI in their after-school community education and food recovery programs.