the Coastal & Marine field station of the College of earth, Life, and Health
Located in Walpole, ME along the Damariscotta River Estuary
The Darling Marine Center is a proud part of the University of Maine, the state’s Land and Sea Grant University. Since its founding in 1965, the DMC has been an active center of marine and environmental research, education, and outreach. The DMC brings unique strengths and opportunities to UMaine by virtue of its waterfront facilities, resident expertise, and the surrounding community.
The DMC welcomes scientists and students from UMaine and around the world to utilize our location and facilities, which enables research and hands-on learning experiences in field and laboratory studies of coastal and marine ecosystems. The DMC also actively engages with fishermen, aquaculture entrepreneurs, marine industry professionals, and community members through collaborative research, workforce development, and business incubation programs.
People
Sean M.C. Smith
Director
sean.m.smith@maine.edu
Bio
Watershed Process and Estuary Sustainability Research Group (WPES)
Hattie Stiles
Programs & Communications Manager
hattie.stiles@maine.edu
207.563.8220
Allen Spinney
Facilities Manager
allen.spinney@maine.edu
Lisa Ouellette
Administrative Specialist
lisao@maine.edu
207.563.8202
Samuel Annable
Outreach & Residential Life Coordinator
samuel.annable@maine.edu
207.735.6837
Caleb Hodgdon
Vessel Operations Coordinator
caleb.hodgdon@maine.edu
207.563.8175
Kenneth Bickford
Campus Maintenance
kenneth.bickford@maine.edu
Abbie Seiders
Campus Maintenance
abbie.seiders@maine.edu
Jonah Roscoe
Campus Maintenance
jonah.roscoe@maine.edu
508.843.1139
Damian C. Brady, Ph.D.
Professor of Marine Sciences
damian.brady@maine.edu
Brady Lab: Marine Sciences of Aquaculture, Fisheries, and Renewable Energy
Margaret Estapa, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemical Oceanography
margaret.estapa@maine.edu
207.581.1865
Estapa Lab
Gregory Gerbi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Oceanography
gregory.gerbi@maine.edu
207.581.5184
Gerbi Lab
Heather Leslie, Ph.D.
Professor of Marine Sciences
heather.leslie@maine.edu
207.563.8115
Leslie Lab: Marine Conservation Science
Jeremy Rich, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marine Microbiology
jeremy.rich@maine.edu
207.581.5302
Rich Lab
Michelle Staudinger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marine Biology
michelle.staudinger@maine.edu
207.563.8304
Staudinger Lab
Emmanuel Boss, Ph.D.
Professor
emmanuel.boss@maine.edu
Bio
Lee Karp-Boss, Ph.D.
Professor
lee.karp-boss@maine.edu
Bio
William Ellis, Ph.D.
Associate Director, SMS
Associate Professor of Oceanography
william.ellis@maine.edu
Bio
Walter Golet, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
walter.golet@maine.edu
Bio
Paul Rawson, Ph.D.
Professor
prawson@maine.edu
Bio
Kate Liberti, Ph.D.
Field Operations Director
Brady Lab
kate.liberti@maine.edu
Bio
Sean O’Neill
Research Associate
sean.oneill@maine.edu
207.563.8325
Elisabeth Maxwell
Research Assistant
Brady Lab
elisabeth.maxwell@maine.edu
Bio
Andrew Goode, Ph.D.
Phoebe Jekielek
Hsiao-Yun Chang
Tom Kiffney
Robert Cuddy
Sachithma Edirisinghe
Caitlin Haley
Brandon Harris
Benjamin Hayward
Robert Jarrett
Joelle Kilchenmann
Jennifer Smith-Mayo
Alexis Merk
Abrielle Remick
Sarah Risley
Everett Rzeszowski
Chandler Sendek
Samuel Tan
Kelsey Wells
Karl Kreutz, Ph.D.
ECS Professor and Director
Climate Change Institute Professor
karl.kreutz@maine.edu
Bio
Katherine Allen
ECS Associate Professor
katherine.a.allen@maine.edu
Bio
Jiaze Wang
ECS Assistant Professor
jiaze.wang@maine.edu
Bio
Kimberly Huguenard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
kimberly.huguenard@maine.edu
Bio
Lauren Ross, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate Coordinator
lauren.ross1@maine.edu
Bio
Dana Morse
Senior Extension Program Manager & Aquaculture Lead
dana.morse@maine.edu
Bio
Annie Fagan
Marine Extension Associate & graduate student
annie.fagan@maine.edu
Bio
Meggan Dwyer
Associate Director
meggan.dwyer@maine.edu
Bio
Corinne Noufi
Aquaculture Communications Specialist
corinne.noufi@maine.edu
Bio
Adam St. Gelais
Aquaculture Innovation Specialist
adam.st@maine.edu
Tom Kiffney
Postdoc Research Associate
thomas.kiffney@maine.edu
Bio
Sara Lacourciere
Seaweed Technician
sara.lacourciere@maine.edu
Bio
Craig Condon
Hatchery Manager
craig.condon@maine.edu
Bio
Christina Cash
Executive Director
christina.cash@maine.edu
Bio
Chris Brehme, Ph.D.
Project Director
chris.brehme@maine.edu
Anne Langston Noll, Ph.D.
Executive Director
alangstonnoll@maineaquaculture.org
Bio
Christopher Davis, Ph.D.
Innovator in Residence
christopher.v.davis@gmail.com
Bio
Emily Whitmore, Ph.D.
Social Science Research Manager
emily.whitmore@unh.edu
Bio
Sydney Avena
Special Projects Assistant in Applied Research
sydney.avena@maine.edu
Bio
Maya Pelletier
Aquaculture Workforce & Education Manager
mapelletier1799@gmail.com
mpelletier@maineaquaculture.org
Bio
Kevin Eckelbarger, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus; Director Emeritus
kevine@maine.edu
Bio
Lawrence Mayer, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
lmayer@maine.edu
Bio
Jeffrey Runge, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
jeffrey.runge@maine.edu
Bio
Robert Steneck
Professor Emeritus
steneck@maine.edu
Bio
Richard Wahle, Ph.D.
Les Watling, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
watling@maine.edu
Bio
History
The Ira C. Darling Center for Research Teaching and Service, commonly referred to as the Darling Marine Center, was established in 1965 upon the generous donation by Mr. Ira C. Darling from Kenilworth, Illinois.
Mr. Darling purchased the 148.6-acre property in 1939 for a mere $12,500 as a place for he and his wife to enjoy retirement. Over the years he became interested in tree farming and planted over 15,000 pine and spruce trees on the property. As the years passed, the long trip from Illinois to Maine became increasingly difficult. He was approached by a local real estate developer, but that’s not the future he envisioned for his beloved tree farm, so in 1965 he donated the property to the University of Maine with the intent of establishing a marine laboratory on site.
Questions?
Email dmc@maine.edu.