We are proud to welcome Professor Thomas James Miller PhD as a Fellow of the Marine Biological Association (FMBA).
Professor Miller is a senior US-based academic whose research spans fisheries ecology, conservation, ecosystem-based management, and the impacts of climate change on marine and fishery resources. Across an almost 40-year career, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has made substantial contributions through research, teaching, graduate supervision, and science-policy leadership. This research included early work on fish early life history, a concentrated focus on the ecology and conservation of Blue Crab and a more diversified recent portfolio that has included ecosystem-based management as well as the impacts of climate change.
His recent research portfolio includes work on the impacts of climate change on fishery resources in the US Mid-Atlantic region, focusing on Eastern Oyster and Blue Crab, Striped Bass and Black Sea Bass. Professor Miller’s career has included extensive graduate advising and teaching. He has served as a major advisor to more than 20 PhD and MS students, and served on the advisory committee of many more such students at US, Canadian, and European universities. He has also taught core graduate courses in fisheries ecology, the responsible conduct of research and the application of science, resulting in several teaching awards.
In addition to research and teaching, he is also heavily involved in work at the science policy interface, undertaking extensive work on behalf of the US National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine, chairing a recent consensus committee on equity in the distribution of benefits of fishery management, and serving on several other committees exploring challenging policy and scientific questions around ocean policy and fishery management.
Professor Miller has served for more than 20 years on a regional Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) in the US, the bodies which ensure a scientific foundation for federal fishery management decisions. This societally relevant work is the foundation for his recent investiture as an Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay by the Governor of the State of Maryland.
Professor Miller said: “The honour of becoming a Fellow of the MBA represents my commitment to continue to work to build bridges across the research communities in the UK and USA to help promote the sustainable use of the world’s fishery resources. I am excited to use the MBA archive at the National marine Biological Library as I seek to work on a book on the early scientific history of the management of coastal fisheries.”
The MBA is the world’s oldest learned society and charity covering all aspects of the marine life sciences, and election as a Fellow of the MBA is a significant honour. Fellowship is awarded only to those who have contributed to the field of marine biology at the highest level. Professor Miller was accepted as an MBA Fellow on 30 April 2026 and is entitled to use the post-nominal designation FMBA in accordance with the Association’s Royal Charter.
MBA Chief Executive Professor Willie Wilson said: “Warm congratulations to Professor Tom Miller on his well-deserved election as a Fellow of the Marine Biological Association (FMBA). This recognition reflects his outstanding contributions to marine science and his enduring influence on the field.
“It has been a great pleasure to welcome Professor Miller to the MBA while he has been researching his forthcoming book on the foundations of estuarine and coastal science, focusing on the transformative period between 1900 and 1930. The National Marine Biological Library at the MBA has provided a rich and valuable resource for his work and we are delighted to have been able to support this important scholarly activity.
“We hope that Professor Miller’s Fellowship will further strengthen transatlantic collaboration in marine science, fostering new partnerships and shared discoveries. We look forward to continuing to work closely with him in the years ahead. Congratulations, Professor Miller, and welcome to the MBA family.”
