W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 85
Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine
I N N OVAT I O N / R & D
'Training the next
generation of scientists'
Earlier this year, Mainebiz honored
Bigelow Lab's Deborah Bronk as a
2025 Business Leader of the Year.
Bronk, who serves as president,
CEO and senior research scientist,
is an advocate for scientific study —
even as federal funding has become
harder to come by. Bigelow gets about
half of its funding from federal grants.
Bronk's fascination with micro-
scopic organisms and the ocean
guided her career, including three
decades of research cruises and field
expeditions spanning the poles.
Here are excerpts from a conversa-
tion with Bronk originally published
in March.
Mainebiz: What's the lab's mission?
Deborah Bronk: We study the micro-
scopic organisms that are the foundation
of life in the ocean. at's our founda-
tional research. e other side is our
solution-based work, getting products or
services into the market to drive change.
C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E
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P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D
P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D
Greg Powell, chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation (headed
to the podium), said: "We at the Harold Alfond Foundation are
proud to continue our support of this extraordinary institution."
Of the total cost of the new Harold Alfond Center for Ocean
Education, $8 million came from the Harold Alfond Foundation.
Bigelow Laboratory CEO Deborah Bronk at the opening of the Harold
Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation at Bigelow's East
Boothbay campus. Beside her is Bob Young of the Bigelow advisory
board. At far left is Alfond Foundation Chairman Greg Powell.
