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Conferences give us the chance to meet people we might not interact with otherwise, and to glimpse career pathways that sit outside our everyday experience. At the recent Ocean Sciences Meeting, I met Aimee Mook, Curator of Contemporary Maritime at the National Maritime Museum (Fig. 1). Even a brief chat with Aimee was enough to spark my curiosity about this type of work. In the interview below, we explore what it means to work as a contemporary maritime curator, how Aimee navigated the transition from research to science communication, and how she combines ocean science with storytelling to inspire public understanding and care for our marine world. L.F.: Can you introduce your background and the position that you are currently in? A.M.: I'm the Curator of Contemporary Maritime at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich in London, UK. We are the largest maritime museum in the world, set in a lovely UNESCO world heritage site only 15 min from Central London on public transport. My position at the museum is supported by a grant from the Lloyds Register Foundation, an organization that works to increase understanding of maritime safety and the ocean economy, learning from the past to inform the future. Before working here, I completed an MSc in Freshwater and Marine Ecology and a BSc in Biology at Queen Mary University of London, focusing on biodiversity, conservation, and taxonomy. I usually say that my job has two focuses: half of it is ocean science and building ocean literacy in our audiences, and the other half is life at sea and our contemporary maritime world. My everyday can include researching ocean physics for a blog post, or how container ships changed the world, or even digging in the museum archive for material about shipworms and biofouling! L.F: How did you make the transition from academia to your current position? A.M.: I completed a module during my MSc that highlighted the importance of science communication, focusing on how you as an individual scientist could better communicate your research. I really enjoyed thinking about accessible language and the challenge of “meeting people where they're at.” I hadn't really considered how a career in science communication might look, but I knew that I enjoyed sharing my passion and interests with others. Additionally, I graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic and knew I didn't want to leave London at that time—but that understandably limited the number of “ocean” jobs I could apply for! L.F.: What motivated you to follow your career path? A.M.: I wanted to combine my interest in writing with my love for the ocean into a career. I've always loved humanities subjects like History and English as much as science. I thought I would pursue a PhD straight after my MSc, but during my master's I changed my mind. I realized that I didn't love research as much as I thought I would, and I was starting to feel some of the challenges and pressures of academia. I tried to see this as an opportunity to explore other paths and contexts beyond research, and that's when I came across the Assistant Curator job at the museum. L.F.: What are the things that you would tell people considering a career as a science communicator or curator? A.M.: Trust in your abilities and your expertise! I still battle with the feeling that working in science communication is less important because I'm not pursuing primary research but that just isn't true. Communicating science is its own skill set and isn't “easier” than pure science; it's just different. I'm often reassured by active researchers how vital my role is. I would also tell people that it's okay to be a geek about your subjects and your work. I think I spent a lot of my academic career and the first year or so of my job dulling down my interests because I didn't want to come across as too keen, or have that misinterpreted as naivety—I didn't want to seem “unprofessional.” I now realize that when people are complimenting me on my enthusiasm, or my deep knowledge of a subject, they are complimenting my geekiness—and that's a great thing! L.F.: What excites you most about your position? What aspects do you not enjoy? A.M.: I get excited when I see visitors learning ocean science in front of my eyes. Last year on World Ocean Day, the museum unveiled The Ocean Map, this huge floor map at the heart of the museum that visitors can play on and use to explore our ocean. The map showcases the Spilhaus projection and our amazing blue planet, as well as illustrating bathymetry, depth, and loads of creatures and features that tell the story of the ocean. I spent the whole day eavesdropping on visitors as they unpacked what they were looking at and felt so much joy and pride when they often exclaimed “oh I get it; it's one ocean!” I don't always love the speed that the museum world operates at. It can sometimes feel like a long wait between having an idea and seeing it become a reality. Luckily, I work with an amazing team of curators, engagement staff, exhibitions, designers, and so many others who push on with our amazing projects! L.F.: Is there anything else you would like to share? A.M.: If I could encourage everyone reading this interview to do one thing, it would be to reach out to your local maritime museum, no matter what role you're in or where in the world you are. We all have a shared love of the ocean and a desire to make people care. To do that, we need to combine the people, stories, and collections that maritime museums are such experts at with ocean science, showing the ocean as an active part of human life, and of human history! LJF declares she is the Editor of L&O Bulletin.