Dr. Thierry Chopin

The honorary rank of Professor Emeritus/Emerita is awarded, upon or after retirement from active academic duties, to such professors as have served the university with great distinction. The ranking of Professor Emeritus in Biological Sciences will posthumously be awarded to Thierry Chopin.

The late Dr. Thierry Chopin was a distinguished faculty member of the University of New Brunswick from 1989 until his retirement in 2024.

Born in France, Dr. Chopin earned his doctorate from the University of Western Brittany. He immigrated to Canada in 1989, joined UNB’s Saint John campus as an assistant professor and, since 1998, was a professor of marine biology.

Dr. Chopin taught 2,840 undergraduate and 141 graduate students at UNB and other institutions where he held adjunct positions or was a research professor. He supervised 23 honours students, 65 master’s students, 41 doctoral students, and eight post-doctoral fellows while serving on numerous supervisory and examining committees.

Dr. Chopin consistently demonstrated excellence in teaching across multiple fields and led innovative and groundbreaking research projects at local, regional, national and international levels. His service to UNB spanned from departmental roles to contributions to the Senate and Board of Governors.

In addition to being the Honorary Consul for France in the Saint John area, Dr. Chopin’s achievements and activities are far too many to enumerate, and include: Chair of the biology department (2002-2005); a member of both the UNB Saint John Senate (2015-2023) and the UNB Board of Governors (2019-2023); Scientific Director of the Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network (2009-2017). He was renowned in phycology and marine biology, particularly for his pioneering work in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture, a concept he defined in 2003.

He championed a greener Blue Economy, the “Turquoise Economy,” which emphasized the value of ecosystem services provided by extractive aquaculture, such as seaweeds and invertebrates, within a circular economy framework.

Since 1990, Dr. Chopin secured over $137 million in research grants. His publication record included 186 refereed papers, 30 book chapters, 48 non-refereed publications and 456 abstracts presented at 300 scientific meetings in 44 countries. He also produced educational media.

Dr. Chopin’s frequent media engagements and 118 invited seminars in 21 countries are a testament to his global influence. His dedication to teaching, research and service left a strong legacy in marine biology.