Michael Eckardt ^[1] earned an Associate of Arts degree in business administration from Glendale College; BS in biology from California State University, Northridge; MS in marine biology from the University of Southern California; MS and Candidate in Philosophy in zoology from the University of Michigan; and Ph.D. in medical psychology from the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center.  He completed postdoctorates in psychobiology (Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center) and psychiatry and human behavior (University of California, Irvine).

Eckardt has approximately 150 scientific publications to his credit and he was a tenured scientist at the National Institutes of Health from 1976-96.  From 1996-2003, he was Chief of the Planning and Evaluation Branch, Office of Scientific Affairs, NIAAA.

In 2003, Eckardt became the Vice President for Research at the University of Maine.  He also serves on the Governor-appointed Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board.