 In 2000, Meir graduated with a Master of Space Studies from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France.Meir earned a Ph.D. in marine biology in 2009 from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for research on the diving physiology of emperor penguins and northern elephant seals.Meir performed field work at "Penguin Ranch" on McMurdo Sound in Antarctica to study the diving abilities of the emperor penguin while scuba diving alongside them under the ice.