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Lisa Campbell

Rachel Carson Distinguished Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy
Marine Science and Conservation
Duke University Marine Lab, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516

Overview


Dr. Campbell studies oceans governance broadly, in relation to diverse issues (blue economy, blue carbon, protected species, fisheries, MSP, MPAs, tourism, etc.), and formal and informal processes. She draws on theory from political ecology, political economy, and science and technology studies to study how science and other values, the state and non-state actors, inform governance processes and outcomes across geographic and socio-political scales. She is more generally interested in innovation in research methods, e.g. Collaborative Event Ethnography and Community Voice Method, and has published on participatory research, collaborative research, inter-disciplinary research, field work, and research ethics.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Rachel Carson Distinguished Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy · 2020 - Present Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment
Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy · 2015 - Present Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment
Professor in the Division of Environmental Social Systems · 2024 - Present Environmental Social Systems, Nicholas School of the Environment

Recent News Items


Published October 2, 2023
How Nicholas School Faculty Members Are Working to Protect the Seafloor
Published August 19, 2020
COVID-19 Makes a Hurricane Season Even More Complicated
Published April 14, 2020
Duke Awards 29 University Distinguished Professorships

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Recent Scholarly Works


To feed the world, recognize the interconnectedness of aquaculture and fisheries

Journal article Npj Ocean Sustainability · December 1, 2026 Efforts to scale up aquaculture are increasingly framed as essential to global food security and ocean sustainability, yet such narratives often obscure the complex and interdependent relationships between aquaculture and wild-capture fisheries. This paper ... Full text Cite

Sorting out competing perspectives in Maine aquaculture

Journal article Maritime Studies · September 1, 2026 Aquaculture is a growing sector globally that is often positioned as an important source of revenue and protein. However, as its footprint grows in coastal waters, so too does social conflict in shoreside communities related to competing values, problem de ... Full text Cite

The future of global ocean observations: five scenarios

Journal article npj Ocean Sustainability · June 17, 2026 AbstractOcean observations are of vital importance across marine sciences and industries, including the growing blue economy. However, the robustness of global ocean observations is currently under threat ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Making Ocean Worlds: big data and ocean ontologies

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2020 - 2026

A Mixed-Methods and Comparative Approach to Understanding the Social Dimensions of Aquaculture Production, Consumption, and Siting

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · 2019 - 2023

Equity in Blue Carbon Interventions

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Environmental Defense Fund · 2022 - 2023

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Education


University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) · 1998 Ph.D.
University of Toronto (Canada) · 1993 M.A.