Fredrik Hiebert, archaeologist and explorer, has traced ancient trade routes overland and across the seas for more than 20 years. Hiebert has led excavations at ancient Silk Road sites across Asia, from Egypt to Mongolia. His excavations at a 4,000-year-old Silk Road city in Turkmenistan made headlines around the world. He also conducts underwater archaeology projects in the Black Sea and in South America's highest lake, Lake Titicaca, in search of submerged settlements. Hiebert completed his doctoral dissertation at Harvard University in 1992 and held the Robert H. Dyson chair of archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the National Geographic Society in 2003. He rediscovered the lost Bactrian gold in Afghanistan in 2004 and was the curator of National Geographic's exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul which toured major museums in the United States and internationally. As National Geographic's archaeology fellow, he extends the enthusiasm for archaeology to the public in lectures, presentations, films, and museum exhibits.

Hiebert also holds positions with the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Institute for Nautical Archaeology, and Robert Ballard's Institute for Exploration. Among other honors, Hiebert received the Chairman's Award from the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration in 1998.