Marcia McNutt has the quiet confidence of someone who has weathered tempests, both literal and figurative, and emerged resolute. In her presence, there is an undeniable gravity, the kind that comes from years of making decisions at the highest levels of science, where the stakes are nothing less than the future of the planet.
I’ve been photographing her since 2020, capturing moments of her life that span the grandeur of the National Academies building on the Mall to the rugged, wind-swept openness of her ranch in Salinas. There is something poetic about the contrast: the polished formality of Washington, where she has shaped policy and defended science with unwavering conviction, and the raw freedom of California’s open land, where she can ease into the rhythm of the natural world.
McNutt’s career is a testament to what scientific leadership looks like at its most fearless and consequential. Trained as a geophysicist, she has ventured into intellectual and institutional terrain where few dare to tread, shaping the course of science with an unrelenting drive for discovery and truth. She was the first woman to lead the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), guiding the agency through a period marked by deepwater oil spills and seismic events that demanded scientific clarity amidst political noise. She later became the editor-in-chief of Science, one of the most influential journals in the world, before stepping into her current role as the president of the National Academy of Sciences. It is a position that has placed her at the epicenter of debates about the role of science in society, a role she embraces with a rare blend of intellectual rigor and moral courage.
Photographing McNutt has been an exercise in capturing dualities. She is both powerful and warm, intensely focused yet easygoing. At the National Academies building, she stands at the podium, addressing some of the most brilliant minds of our time, her words carrying the weight of expertise and history. At her ranch, she is just as at home in well-worn boots, her dog at her side, her horse responding to her movements with the trust earned through years of understanding. The scientist and the rancher are not separate identities but two facets of the same person, one whose love of the natural world is not just academic but deeply personal.
She has shared that her connection to the land, to the raw and unpredictable nature of geology, has always shaped her approach to leadership. Science, after all, is about working with uncertainty, about observing, predicting, and responding. Whether she is mapping the ocean floor, overseeing the government’s scientific response to a disaster, or defending the integrity of research against political interference, she applies the same fundamental principles: seek the truth, follow the evidence, and stand firm in the face of opposition.
McNutt is, above all, a defender of science. In an era where facts are often drowned out by ideology, she has been unyielding in her advocacy for evidence-based decision-making. During her tenure at USGS, she navigated the treacherous waters of political and environmental crises, including the fallout from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The task of measuring and communicating the extent of the disaster was fraught with pressures from industry and government, yet McNutt refused to bend to anything other than the data. Her commitment to transparency and accountability during that crisis earned her respect but also made her a target. She did not flinch.
At Science, she continued to wield her influence to uphold scientific integrity, ensuring that the publication remained a beacon for rigorous inquiry, even as the broader landscape of public discourse grew increasingly hostile to inconvenient truths. And now, as the president of the National Academy of Sciences, she stands at the helm of an institution that has long served as the conscience of American science, guiding it through the tumult of climate change, pandemic response, and the ongoing battle against misinformation.
During our photography sessions, I have also seen her in more personal moments, walking with her husband, laughing as her dog bounds ahead, exchanging an affectionate pat with her horse. These glimpses are as telling as the ones in which she is addressing the scientific community. They reveal a leader who is deeply human, someone who carries the weight of responsibility but also knows when to let go, when to breathe in the scent of earth and grass, when to find solace in the quiet companionship of animals.
McNutt’s legacy will not just be measured in titles or institutions she has led, but in the battles she has fought and the truths she has refused to abandon. In an age where science itself is too often under siege, she has been a steadfast defender, unapologetic, unyielding, and unafraid. Whether in the halls of power or on horseback beneath an endless sky, she moves forward with the same conviction: that knowledge must be protected, that truth must be spoken, and that the future belongs to those who refuse to look away.
