May 24, 2023 — Dr. Kevin Stokesbury has been appointed Dean of the School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. As Dean, he will ensure that SMAST continues to play a leading role in both research and educating students in the marine sciences.
Kevin began at UMass Dartmouth in 1998 as an associate fellow in the then-named Center for Marine Science and Technology and currently holds the rank of commonwealth professor. He served as founding chair of the Department of Fisheries Oceanography for twelve years.
Kevin’s extensive research portfolio, and roughly $40 million in grants during the past two decades, examines the impacts on marine ecosystems from fishing and energy development efforts. His research focuses on sea scallop and groundfish resources, including stock assessments, fishery management strategies, and growth and mortality estimates. Kevin’s dedication to collaborating with the fishing industry earned him the David H. Wallace Award from the National Shellfish Association in 2013, and he was named the Standard-Times “SouthCoast Man of the Year” in 2018.
Kevin is involved in several professional organizations, including serving as chair of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Scallop Assessment Working Group from 2013 to 2018, upcoming chair of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment, and president-elect of the National Shellfisheries Association.
Kevin was recently awarded over $1.4 million in grants for sea scallop research from NOAA’s Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.