In her role as a Community Development Officer with Island Institute, Molly works in the Center for Marine Economy focusing on working waterfront resilience and the expansion of seaweed and shellfish aquaculture on the coast.

With over a decade of experience in marine conservation, fisheries, and aquaculture, Molly has worked with a diverse group of stakeholders and communities to promote social, economic, and ecological issues. She recently received her Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of Maine, where her doctoral work focused on the human dimensions of aquaculture as a means of informing sustainable development and providing economic opportunities for Maine’s coastal communities.

Molly received her Master’s degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a BA in Biology from Vassar College. Prior to that, she also spent over a year at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory on MDI restoring eelgrass beds, monitoring water quality, and helping to form the Frenchman Bay Partners. It was this work that convinced her to pursue a career in marine science and work with coastal communities to preserve both their heritage and the coastal environment in the face of a changing climate.