Dr. Mark Luckenbach is a benthic ecologist with experience in soft-sediment, coastal and estuarine benthic community ecology. His primary focus over the past twenty years has been in shellfish ecology with an emphasis on restoration ecology, non-native species and aquaculture-environment interactions in the Chesapeake Bay and the coastal bays along Virginia's Eastern Shore. Additionally, he has conducted research on sea grass ecology and restoration, land-use and water quality, and harmful algal blooms in the Chesapeake Bay.
Dr. Luckenbach joined the faculty at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary in 1985 and has served as the Director of the VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory since 1992. Over the past twenty-five years, he has have served on several regional advisory boards and committees, including the Maryland Coastal Bays Program STAC, the MD Oyster Advisory Commission, and the VA Blue Ribbon Oyster Panel.