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John Virdin

Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation
Marine Science and Conservation
Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


John Virdin is director of the Coastal and Ocean Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

Virdin’s areas of expertise include assisting developing country governments to reform and strengthen their institutions responsible for ocean fisheries, thereby reducing poverty and enhancing sustainability, and creating policy and institutional frameworks governing a wide range of human activities that drive change in ocean ecosystems, including activities leading to the conversion or degradation of natural coastal habitats.

Virdin worked for more than 10 years at the World Bank, most recently as acting program manager for the Global Partnership for Oceans, a coalition of more than 150 governments, companies, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and multi-lateral agencies. He advised the Bank on oceans and fisheries governance and helped it increase its lending for sustainable oceans to more than $1 billion. His work led to development of programs that provided more than $125 million in funding for improved fisheries management in six West African nations and some $40 million for fisheries and ocean conservation in a number of Pacific Island nations.

Prior to his tenure at the World Bank, Virdin worked with the World Resources Institute, the Munson Foundation, the World Conservation Network, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Virdin holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wake Forest University.  He will receive his doctorate in marine policy from the University of Delaware in 2015.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation · 2022 - Present Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment
Area Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability · 2019 - Present Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 20, 2023
Earth Is Awash With Plastic Pollution. Here’s What Duke Is Doing to Change That.
Published March 16, 2023
The Big Impact of Small Fisheries Around the World

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Recent Publications


Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries.

Journal Article Nature · January 2025 Sustainable development aspires to "leave no one behind"1. Even so, limited attention has been paid to small-scale fisheries (SSF) and their importance in eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Through a collaborative and multidimensional ... Full text Open Access Cite

A global assessment of preferential access areas for small-scale fisheries

Journal Article NPJ Ocean Sustainability · December 1, 2024 We provide the first global assessment of the status of preferential access areas (PAAs), a relatively understudied policy tool to govern small-scale fisheries. We find 44 countries, most of them of low or low-middle income, have established a total of 63 ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Research to Secure a Safe Place for Small Scale Fisheries in an Increasingly Crowded Ocean Year 2

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Global Fishing Watch · 2023 - 2026

Conservation and Food Security Impacts of Large- and Small-Scale Fisheries Interactions

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Society for Conservation Biology · 2022 - 2025

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Delaware · 2016 Ph.D.