Thomas Farrugia

Thomas joined AOOS in 2020 as the first Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom (AHAB) Network Coordinator. After a B.S. in Biology at McGill University, he spent a year as a fisheries observer in the Bering Sea where he developed an affinity for Alaska and its waters. He obtained his M.S. in Marine Biology at California State University Long Beach, before returning to Alaska for his Ph.D. in Fisheries at UAF. He then worked as a stock assessment scientist for the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic, and as a white shark researcher for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thomas is very excited to be back in Alaska coordinating the awareness, monitoring, research, and response to HABs – a crucial issue impacting public health, food safety and security, and wildlife populations.