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Female scientist with brown hair smiling

Lisa Milke, Ph.D.

Director, Ecosystems & Aquaculture Division
Ecosystems and Aquaculture
Email: lisa.milke@noaa.gov

Lisa Milke, Ph.D.

Director, Ecosystems & Aquaculture Division

Education

  • Ph.D. Biology - Dalhousie University, 2006
  • M.S. Oceanography - University of Connecticut, 2001
  • B.S. Biology - Salisbury University, 1997
  • B.S. Environmental Science - University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1997

Professional History

  • 2022-Present: Chief, Ecosystems and Aquaculture Division
  • 2016-2022: Chief, Aquaculture Systems and Ecology Branch, Milford Lab
  • 2005-2016: Research Fishery Biologist, NOAA Fisheries Service, Milford Lab

Lisa is the director of our Ecosystem and Aquaculture Division, which consists of five research branches distributed along the northeast coast between Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Woods Hole, Massachusetts. As division chief, she coordinates science and leads scientists answering questions regarding aquaculture, climate change, habitat change, wind energy development impacts and their collective influences on natural resources.

Lisa joined the Milford Laboratory in 2005 as a shellfish biologist, a position she held for 11 years. Her scientific expertise is in feeding physiology, nutrition and organismal response to environmental change. She put her knowledge to use answering questions about shellfish aquaculture and ocean acidification. 

Prior to becoming division chief, Lisa spent six years as Chief of the Aquaculture Systems and Ecology Branch. She led a team conducting research to improve our understanding of the ecology of estuarine, coastal and offshore waters, evaluating the interactions between these habitats and aquaculture practices, and enhancing sustainable aquaculture production. 

She is the organizer of the Milford Aquaculture Seminar, a forum for technology transfer among NOAA Fisheries scientists, aquaculture professionals, the academic community, regulators and the public convened every January.

Lisa is a member of the ICES Working Group on Ecological Carrying Capacity in Aquaculture and received the NOAA Bronze Medal for participation in a collaborative project assessing the vulnerability of fisheries to climate change in the Northeast.

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