The focus of my research is aquaculture and community interactions with a focus on macroalgae cultivation. My goal is to facilitate workforce training, education, research and policy support the development of restorative aquaculture in southern California. My focus rests on the four pillars of Sea Grant service as adapted from the 10-year Sea Grant Aquaculture Roadmap (2025-2035); 1. Expansion of Aquaculture Research focused on establishing a biobank of ecologically, economically and culturally important native macroalgae in San Diego, with interest in developing strains to cultivate in urban waterways for nutrient bioextraction. Long-term, I am interested in working with engineers and modelers to develop an ecological IMTA (Integrated multi-tropic aquaculture) pilot system that would showcase production of local seafood on several trophic levels, including finfish, shellfish and macroalgae in a system that is efficient and requires low energy inputs; 2. Aquaculture Engagement and Extension Services, Best Practices, and Knowledge Exchange specifically by developing relationships with various stakeholders to understand needs and challenges in order to address them, including Indigenous communities, producers, industry partners, academics, NGO’s and local and state government organizations. Since the industry is nascent in the state, many gaps need to be addressed including regulation and policy, business development and planning, market development and expansion; 3. Aquaculture Public Awareness and Consumer Education; Aquaculture is an integral part of the California Seaweed Festival (CSF), a non-profit organization with a free public facing annual event held at various locations throughout the state. With CSF and colleagues at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) we have developed a Field-guide to 24 of the most common macroalgae in Southern California and additional educational digital content with species identification; 4. Aquaculture Workforce and Leadership Development; I am engaging with UCSD students, and Sea Grant fellows at SIO to provide hands on skills and a basic understanding of a pilot aquaculture system, its daily operations and management. I am also supporting the paid aquaculture certificate internship program at Mira Costa Community College for workforce training in San Diego. Through research, outreach and community engagement efforts, California Sea Grant will work to share knowledge and best practices among industry professionals, educators, and community members to contribute to the development of sustainable practices and policies that benefit both ecosystems and the communities that rely on them for seafood production.