Explore Our Research

Research Areas

At IMET's state-of-the-art research facility in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, our scientists take innovative approaches to protect and restore coastal marine systems and their watersheds and to develop approaches for the sustainable use of resources that provide benefits to society and human health. Our methods apply advanced tools of biotechnology and molecular biology to the study of marine organisms and processes, with a strong emphasis on research excellence, education, public outreach, and economic development. IMET serves as a world leader in marine and environmental biotechnology, and its scientific contributions help to meet the economic, environmental sustainability, and health goals of both the state and nation.

Recirculating Aquaculture Salmon Network (RAS-N)

The mision of the Recirculating Aquaculture Salmon Network is to facilitate the growth of environmentally sustainable and economically feasible Atlantic salmon RAS production in the United States in order to provide better food security and reduce the current trade deficit associated with salmon imports. This project is led by Dr. Yonathan Zohar.

IMET welcomes Dr. Helen Dooley

IMET welcomes its newest faculty member, Dr. Helen Dooley. Dr. Dooley joins IMET from the faculty of the University of Aberdeen. Her work focuses on comparative immunology with an interest in the development of new technologies/therapies to understand, diagnose, and potentially treat human and animal disease.

Scientists Discover Source of Deep Ocean Color

About half of atmospheric carbon dioxide is fixed by ocean's phytoplankton, mainly picocyanobacteria, through a process called photosynthesis. Picocyanobacteria are tiny, unicellular microorganisms that are abundant and widely distributed in freshwater and marine environments. A large portion of biologically fixed carbon is formed by picocyanobacteria at the sea surface and then transported to the deep ocean.

What remains a mystery is how colored dissolved organic matter which originates from plant detritus (either on land or at sea) makes it into the deep ocean. A team of scientists from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and around the world potentially found a viable marine source of this colored material.

IMET student makes surprise discovery of natural back-up system in fish reproduction

What happens when a scientist gets a research result that flies in the face of their expectations? More research leading to new, compelling discoveries.

Groundbreaking bluefin tuna research at IMET

A team of IMET-UMBC researchers has made history by successfully raising Atlantic bluefin tuna from eggs to juvenile stage in a recirculating, land-based mariculture system for the first time in North America. Scientists at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) overcame significant challenges in creating the successful, sustainable aquaculture system — roadblocks that had previously frustrated researchers for years.

IMET International Collaborations: Vietnam

IMET scientists are collaborating with Vietnamese researchers on ways to sustainably turn microalgae into cooking oils.

IMET International Collaborations: Norway

Some of the world’s largest producers of Atlantic salmon are counting on scientists at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology to help resolve common issues in aquaculture.