Jonathan Pennock named new director of NH Sea Grant 

Jonathan Pennock has been appointed director of New Hampshire Sea Grant. Pennock is the director of the University of New Hampshire Marine Program and Jackson Estuarine Laboratory and an associate professor of natural resources. He’ll continue in those roles after assuming directorship of NH Sea Grant on July 1.

Jonathan Pennock

“Jon understands both the research and outreach components of the Sea Grant mission and is well-acquainted with Sea Grant activities in New Hampshire,” said John Aber, vice president for research and public service at UNH.

The NH Sea Grant College Program provides support, leadership and expertise for university-based marine research, extension and education. It’s one of 30 Sea Grant programs throughout the nation promoting the understanding, wise use and stewardship of coastal resources. NH Sea Grant is based at UNH, but serves the entire state. According to Aber, combining the leadership of Sea Grant with that of UNH’s state- and endowment-funded marine program will further the university’s goal of making the most of its valuable marine science resources.

“ The multi-faceted missions of the UNH Marine Program and NH Sea Grant show strong parallels and complement each other in many ways,” Pennock noted. “More connectivity between the Marine Program and Sea Grant will have a positive benefit for marine science at UNH.”

Pennock earned a bachelor’s in biology from Earlham College in Indiana, and a master’s in marine studies and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Delaware. He held faculty positions at the University of Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab before joining the UNH faculty as Marine Program director in 2002. Although this will be Pennock’s first administrative position with Sea Grant, he has a long association with Sea Grant, as both a student and faculty researcher, and as chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Program. “Jon has a long history with Sea Grant,” Aber said, “and he is fully knowledgeable about and committed to the goals of the program.”

Pennock succeeds outgoing director Ann Bucklin. After 12 years at NH Sea Grant, Bucklin has accepted a position as head of the marine sciences department and director of the Marine Sciences and Technology Center at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. “UNH is contemplating how to make the most of its marine activities,” Bucklin said. “It’s a great opportunity for the Sea Grant Program to have new leadership, a new vision, a new philosophy.”

Pennock is looking forward to the challenge of leading NH Sea Grant. “I’m excited for many reasons,” he said. “The university has a wealth of marine talent and facilities. I think we’ll gain by bringing it all together.”