Michael Chambers
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH USA
"Get your hands wet."
Career Roadmap
Michael's work combines: Environment & Nature, Science, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Pursue a biological science degree and get your hands wet. While in college as some sort of biological science major, it's very easy to find opportunities to work with animals, get out on boats, work in the water, etc. Seek out those hands-on experiences while in college. I also recommend finding internships while in school. You'll get work experience and meet contacts to grow your network.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Aquatic Biology/Limnology
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Graduate Degree
Mariculture
Texas A&M University
Doctorate
Marine Biology and Mariculture
University of New Hampshire
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
2.
Prior to graduating, I participated in a summer internship at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Mississippi and immediately knew I wanted to live and work by the ocean.
3.
The professor I had worked with during my internship hired me on after graduation, so I moved back down to the Gulf Coast to do research on seagrass farms.
4.
I made connections through work and travel that led to a variety of fun jobs and projects, including a lobster research project in Maine and a shipwreck excavation in Micronesia.
5.
I eventually decided to go back to school and earn a master’s degree in mariculture from Texas A&M University.
6.
I moved to Hawaii to help The Oceanic Institute and the University of Hawaii with an open ocean cage farm project where we grew Pacific threadfin, a local indigenous species.
7.
When the University of New Hampshire received funding for an experimental research farm, I moved back to New Hampshire to work on that—meanwhile, I earned my Ph.D. in marine biology and mariculture.
8.
Over the past 25 years, I’ve been specializing in developing ocean farming technologies for raising fin fish, shellfish, and microalgae species.
