Contact Us

The Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network is coordinated by:

Thomas Farrugia – AHAB Network Coordinator – farrugia@aoos.org, 907.531.2481

Thomas joined AOOS in 2020 as the first Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom (AHAB) Network Coordinator. After a B.S. in Biology at McGill University, he spent a year as a fisheries observer in the Bering Sea where he developed an affinity for Alaska and its waters. He obtained his M.S. in Marine Biology at California State University Long Beach, before returning to Alaska for his Ph.D. in Fisheries at UAF. He then worked as a stock assessment scientist for the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic, and as a white shark researcher for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thomas is very excited to be back in Alaska coordinating the awareness, monitoring, research, and response to HABs – a crucial issue impacting public health, food safety and security, and wildlife populations.

Darcy Dugan – AHAB Network Advisor – dugan@aoos.org

Darcy led the development and launch of the Alaska OA Network in 2016, and is now the network’s director. She has worked for the Alaska Ocean Observing System since 2009, collaborating with scientists and stakeholders to fill gaps in ocean monitoring and ensure ocean data and information is available for safe marine operations, environmental stewardship, and decision making. Darcy received a bachelors degree from Stanford University in the Earth Systems program, and a Masters of Environmental Science at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where her research focused on coastal vulnerability in western Alaska. She has also served as staff in the Alaska Legislature and as a research associate for the Institute of Social & Economic Research at UAA.