Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC) is proud to work with the following individuals who specialize in various aspects of Maine’s aquaculture industry, including applied natural science research, social science research, education, and science communication. If you are interested in learning more about projects the MAIC team is working on, please see our current and recent research pages or contact us.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ANNE LANGSTON NOLL, Ph.D. Currently the Executive Director of the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center since December of 2024 and formerly MAIC’s 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. Anne joined the MAIC team in 2020.
INNOVATOR IN RESIDENCE
CHRIS DAVIS, Ph.D. Chris served as Executive Director of the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, for 20 years from 2004 through 2024. Now his work with MAIC continues as the ‘Innovator in Residence.” His responsibilities include conducting aquaculture research, overseeing ongoing research projects funded by the Center, conducting outreach and education activities, providing support services for the aquaculture business incubators in partnership with the University of Maine and serving as a Conference Manager for the Northeast Aquaculture Conference and Exposition. Davis currently or has past 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.
SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH MANAGER
EMILY WHITMORE, Ph.D. Emily is a social scientist focused on social dimensions of aquaculture development. She joined MAIC in 2022 to develop guidance for farmers on how to work with communities. Though her research is in aquaculture, she is actually a land farmer based in Hollis, Maine. She received her doctorate from the University of New Hampshire.
SPECIAL PROJECTS ASSISTANT in APPLIED RESEARCH
SYDNEY AVENA, B.S. Sydney has been working with MAIC since 2020, with prior research projects focused on the social license to operate for aquaculture and on new growout technologies for juvenile Atlantic sea scallops. Currently, she is a research assistant and M.S. student at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center where she works to “crack the shell” of sea scallop hatchery production. Sydney is part of a collaborative effort between industry and academia to improve the survival and growth of larval sea scallops, with an end goal of producing reliable and reproducible hatchery protocols.
AQUACULTURE WORKFORCE & EDUCATION MANAGER
MAYA PELLETIER, B.A. Maya joined MAIC in 2023 to work on projects promoting accessibility of aquaculture education and science 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 inclusive education initiatives for STEM fields at Vassar College. Maya grew up on the Maine coast and has experience working on an oyster farm.
AQUACULTURE WORKFORCE & EDUCATION ASSISTANT
ANTOINE MIER, B.S. Antoine Mier 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.