Michael Tlusty
2021 Rising Tides Environmentor
Michael is an Associate Professor of Sustainability & Food Solutions in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts at Boston where he links science, technology, and innovation to help transform the world's aquatic food systems. His approach is to find solutions to create more food, waste less of it and to help the entire value chain do a better job creating the food we already produce.
He has an undergraduate degree in Animal Science from the University of Illinois, and a PhD in Animal Behavior and Ecology from Syracuse University. It is this combination of agriculture and theoretical ecology that allowed him to successfully engage in the aquaculture arena.
Previously, he spent over 20 years working with industry to model the carrying capacity of salmon aquaculture in Newfoundland, and then with NGOs to develop robust certification programs and market-based initiatives. As an academic, Michael educates the next generation leaders necessary to develop integrative solutions to create enough food for our burgeoning population. In his spare time, he uses the lessons learned in studying seafood value chains to create solutions to stop the trade of illegal wildlife products.