Jocelyn Kelly
Joined Atlas Obscura in 2026
I’m a public health researcher, explorer, and member of The Explorers Club. For more than fifteen years, my work has taken me across Central Africa, from small mining communities in eastern Congo to Africa’s Pole of Inaccessibility.
Working alongside local researchers and communities, I’ve interviewed armed combatants, learned from nomadic herders, and studied how protecting people and wildlife can go hand in hand. My research explores how people navigate conflict and rebuild their lives, with a particular focus on women’s experiences and human rights. Through writing and photography, I document the places my work takes me and the people who help me understand them—their ingenuity, their knowledge, and the things an outsider might otherwise miss.
