Baldwin is a marine scientist with the Smithsonian Institution and a 1981 JMU graduate in biology. A systematic ichthyologist, one who studies the diversity of and relationships among fishes, Baldwin was the lead scientist on the Smithsonian's IMAX film, "Galápagos." She has published several dozen scientific articles and discovered new species of fishes around the world. Baldwin, who annually leads tours of the Galápagos to advance marine science, is the author of "One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook," and is currently at work on a permanent ocean exhibit for the Smithsonian.