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The Nicholas School of the Environment has selected Joel Fodrie as the new director of the ���Ĵ�ý Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. Fodrie will join the lab later this summer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he has served as the director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, within the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, and as a Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy, within the Office of the Provost.

“The Duke Marine Lab is a gold standard among centers of coastal and marine research, both in the social sciences and the natural sciences. Its coastal setting is ideal for exploring how humans and natural systems affect one another. I’m very excited about working with the faculty, staff and students to support, and even enhance, place-based research and teaching that has local and far-reaching impacts,” Fodrie said.

For nearly 90 years, the Duke Marine Lab has centered on field-based discovery, immersive learning and close mentorship. In joining the team, Fodrie will succeed outgoing director Andy Read, who led the Lab for 10 years. Read will remain on the Nicholas School faculty based at the Marine Lab.

“As director, Joel will build on Andy’s legacy and further strengthen strategic connections between Beaufort and Durham while guiding the Marine Lab’s next chapter as a world-class leader in marine science and research,” said Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School.

Fodrie’s research focuses on coastal and estuarine ecosystems, fisheries ecology, and the resilience of marine communities. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology and history from UNC, Fodrie earned a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

His scholarship includes more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and extensive external grant support. Among various honors, Fodrie received recognition as an Early-Career Research Fellow with the Gulf Research Program, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

“Joel has the research, academic and leadership expertise we were looking for in a director. But beyond that, he brings a reputation as a trusted community partner deeply appreciative of and knowledgeable about North Carolina coastal ecosystems,” said Erika Weinthal, the Nicholas School’s John O. Blackburn Distinguished Professor, who chaired the Marine Lab director search committee.

Indeed, for Fodrie, working in Beaufort will be a homecoming of sorts.

“On a personal level, I grew up in Beaufort, North Carolina, and have known about the significance of the Marine Lab essentially my whole life,” Fodrie said. “I certainly view this as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help shape the direction and impact of the Lab to ensure wise and sustainable use of our coastal and marine ecosystems.”

Main image: photo by Megan May