Meggan Dwyer

Meggan has been the Associate Director of the Aquaculture Research since 2019 and was previously Research Coordinator for the NSF EPSCoR Track 1, Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET). She collaborates closely with ARI’s Director on development and strategy for ARI as well as program coordinator for several large grants and projects. She works on interdisciplinary teams to advance aquaculture workforce development, communications and inclusion efforts. With previous stints as the Eastern Growing Area Supervisor at the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the Marine Environmental Research Institute’s Blue Hill Bay Monitoring Coordinator, Meggan has 17 years of experience working in Maine’s marine spaces on issues related to conservation, water quality, sustainable seafood and the intersection of climate change and aquaculture. She has a Masters in Conservation Biology and a Bachelors in Wildlife Biology from Columbia University and the University of Rhode Island respectively. 

In her spare time, Meggan is the Chair of the Rockport Conservation Commission where she works on research and community outreach related to municipal climate resilience. She also has a penchant for costumes, canned fish, and writing satirical advice columns. Before her career in marine science, Meggan was a sea kayak guide, a travel agent, a bartender and a movie projectionist.  She lives with her daughter and husband at a working boatyard in Rockport. She can hold her breath for only 32 seconds so will likely never be asked to join a pearl diving team and that’s ok with her.