Matt Thompson

Aquaculture Programs Manager, BalanceBLUE Lab

Matt has over fifteen years of experience collaborating with industry, NGOs and other stakeholders to promote environmentally responsible aquaculture practices throughout the global seafood and marine extracts industry. Through his work as the Aquaculture Programs Manager in the BalanceBLUE Lab at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, he has helped set global certification standards for responsible aquaculture practices, advises the Aquarium’s corporate partners on strategies and sources to build environmentally responsible supply chains, and mentors startups with innovative solutions to aquaculture’s biggest challenges through the BlueSwell bluetech incubator program. Matt has a bachelor’s degree in marine science from Southampton University and master’s degree in aquaculture from Stirling University, both based in the UK. Beyond academics, Matt has hands-on experience in lobster and algal culture through internships at the Bar Harbor Oceanarium in Maine and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Florida.