Neeta Satam

Neeta Satam is a photojournalist, geologist, educator, and National Geographic Explorer based in Saint Louis and Mumbai. Her work explores the themes at the intersection of the environment, cultural assimilation, and gender inequity through documentary photography. 

During an eight-year consulting stint as an environmental scientist in the United States, she observed that economic growth motives rather than concerns about conservation and human health often inform environmental policy. This realization, combined with her passion for conservation, ultimately prompted a career switch to visual journalism.

Neeta has an MA in Journalism Degree from the Missouri School of Journalism. Before pursuing a career in photojournalism, Neeta has worked as an environmental scientist and a research assistant on several scientific investigations focusing on environmental conservation. She collaborates with the Pulitzer Center and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on long-term environmental education outreach, especially in underprivileged BIPOC communities.

Since 2017, she has delivered talks on photojournalism, wetland conservation, environmental apartheid, and climate change to national and international audiences. As an advocate for ethical photojournalism, she has spoken and written about the issue.

The National Press Photographers Foundation and The Society of Professional Journalists have recognized her work. She is a Pulitzer Center and International Women's Media Foundation grantee. Her editorial clients include The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, National Public Radio, Bloomberg News, ESPN, and The Undefeated. When she is not working on editorial assignments and educational outreach work, she focuses her time documenting climate change in her native India.