ABOUT
Meet Our Team
Meet the people behind MAIC — a team of researchers, educators, and aquaculture professionals dedicated to growing Maine's aquaculture industry sustainably.
Annie Langston Noll, PhD
Executive Director
Anne has served as the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center's Executive Director since December of 2024, previously holding the role of Associate Director. Anne is an aquaculture researcher, an oyster farmer, and a marine educator based in Orland, Maine. Her career in aquaculture began in Scotland in 1995 at the Scottish Office Fisheries Research Service marine laboratory in Aberdeen, and from there led to work-related aquaculture adventures in Norway, Ireland, and elsewhere in Scotland. Anne moved from Scotland to Maine in 2011 and was the inaugural Associate Director of the Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Maine.
Emily Whitmore, PhD
Associate Director
Emily is a social scientist and Associate Director at the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center. She joined MAIC in 2022 to help expand the center’s applied social science research portfolio, building on more than a decade of research on the social dimensions of aquaculture. Her work examines public perceptions of aquaculture, social license to operate, and, more recently, aquaculture farmer experiences with climate change and ocean acidification. Although her research focuses on aquatic food systems, Whitmore is a land-based farmer in Hollis, Maine. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire.
Chris Davis, PhD
Innovator in Residence
Chris served as MAIC's Executive Director for 20 years (2004–2024). He now continues his work with MAIC as Innovator in Residence, conducting research, overseeing funded projects, supporting aquaculture business incubators, and serving as Conference Manager for the Northeast Aquaculture Conference and Exposition. Davis serves or has served as a board member of the Maine Technology Institute, Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board, Maine Aquaculture Association, Maine Department of Marine Resources Aquaculture Advisory Council and president of the National Shellfisheries Association.
Sydney Avena, MS
Applied Research & Industry Partnerships Manager
Sydney has been working with MAIC since 2020, with prior research projects focused on the social license to operate for aquaculture, new growout technologies for juvenile Atlantic sea scallops, and the hatchery culture of Atlantic sea scallops. As the Applied Research & Industry Partnerships Manager, she oversees applied research projects, coordinates industry collaborations, and supports business development efforts to help scale innovations and solve key challenges in the aquaculture industry.
Maya Pelletier, BA
Workforce & Education Manager
Maya joined MAIC in 2023 to work on projects related to aquaculture workforce development, education, and communication. Prior to being part of the MAIC team, she coordinated a citizen science research initiative to investigate Maine’s intertidal seaweeds and participated in development of education initiatives for STEM fields at Vassar College. Maya is currently a Masters of Science student at the University of Maine in the Aquaculture & Aquatic Resource program. Maya grew up on the Maine coast and has experience working on an oyster farm.
Aurora Burgess, MS
Seaweed Solutions Coordinator
Aurora joined MAIC in 2026 to help the seaweed farming community identify the sector’s most pressing needs and barriers, and to support the rapid development of solutions. She brings a varied background in seaweed and finfish aquaculture operations, education, and research. She is passionate about advocating for sustainable and socially responsible aquaculture.
Joshua Richards, MPPM
Assistant Project Manager
Joshua is a recent graduate of the Muskie School of Public Service, gaining his Master’s in Policy, Planning, and Management. He joined the MAIC team as an intern in the spring of 2025 to work on a project with Dr. Emily Whitmore on community-participatory mapping of coastal waters and their effects on aquaculture development. This project is ongoing, and Joshua has since become a contract Research Fellow at MAIC and now works on several other projects. Joshua likes being out on the water, hiking, and skiing in his free time.
Antoine Mier, BS
Workforce & Education Assistant
Antoine is a recent graduate from the University of New England (UNE) with a B.S. in Marine Biology. Growing up in New York City, Antoine has been involved in aquaculture since the age of 16 through the Billion Oyster Project, spending several years working to restore the oyster population in the New York Harbor. In Maine, he gained experience working with the Saco Salmon Restoration Alliance & Hatchery during his time at UNE and with the Maine Department of Marine Resources during the summer following graduation.
Grace Adams-Kollitz, BA
Project Assistant
Grace graduated from Colby College in 2024 with a degree in Environmental Science and a concentration in Biodiversity & Conservation. Originally from Vermont, she made the switch from land-based farming to ocean farming and has spent the past year and a half working in Maine’s aquaculture sector. She joined MAIC in late 2025, after spending the summer and fall working for several oyster farms on the New Meadows River.