He is the son of Bob Keefer, an arts writer and photographer, and Lisa Strycker, a data analyst and former journalist.

[2] Noah’s master’s research at Stony Brook University focused on population abundance and distribution of Adélie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap Penguins, to better understand the dynamics of ecological change on the Antarctic Peninsula.

In 2011, Strycker's first book, "Among Penguins: A Bird Man in Antarctica," was published by Oregon State University Press.

Co-authored by Strycker and by Jonathan Alderfer, it's a completely revised second edition of a field guide to 150 of the most common and interesting birds in North America.

In February 2023, National Geographic plans to issue “Birder’s Life List and Journal,” a personal record for noting dates and locations of birds observed, with Strycker contributing occasional text.

Strycker began his worldwide Big Year on January 1, 2015, in Antarctica, aboard the Akademik Ioffe, a former Soviet research vessel then leased by One Ocean Expeditions for adventure tourism.