Maine Sea Grant has announced the Oct. 1, 2014 appointment of Damian Brady as assistant director for research.

Brady, an assistant research professor in the School of Marine Sciences at the Darling Marine Center, earned his doctorate at the University of Delaware in 2008. His research combines approaches from disciplines including marine biology, biogeochemistry and environmental engineering to address questions about water quality and ecosystem function.

Since beginning work at UMaine in 2010, Brady has studied how coasts and estuaries are affected by human uses as varied as aquaculture, offshore wind energy development, and eutrophication.

Brady is the environmental monitoring lead for UMaine’s offshore wind energy projects and assistant director of a National Science Foundation project examining how climate change influences farmer decision-making and the consequences for local water quality.

Brady will oversee Maine Sea Grant’s research portfolio, including two-year research projects and program development projects, and will manage the next request for research proposals in early 2015. He will serve as a liaison between Sea Grant faculty, students and staff at UMaine and other research institutions, and the Marine Extension Team.

“Scientific credibility is a pillar of the Sea Grant model, and Dr. Brady’s role on our management team will ensure that we make smart investments in research, and that our outreach and education programs are scientifically sound,” said Paul Anderson, director of the Maine Sea Grant College Program.