Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons is a Professor, Research Scientist and Aquaculture Extension Specialist in the University of Arizona, Department of Environmental Science. He has joint appointments with the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Department of Biological Engineering. He also serves as the Director for International Initiatives for the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences.
His teaching responsibilities have included courses on Environmental Science, Aquaculture, Phycology and Wetlands Ecology. His research and extension work since 1981 at the University of Arizona has focused on improving the sustainability of the aquaculture industry in the US and abroad. Much of this work has been international with grants from USAID and USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service. He has been a leader in the development of the tilapia farming industry on a worldwide basis and has organized, hosted and co-edited the proceedings for 9 of the 12 International Symposia on Tilapia in Aquaculture. Dr. Fitzsimmons served as an advisor to the Chinese government and tilapia industry for many years. He was a PI on multiple projects with the Aquaculture CRSP/Innovation Lab in Africa, Asia, South and Central America. In 2017, he was awarded his second Fulbright Fellowship, a research grant working on commercialization of alternative ingredients for aquaculture feeds with three Universities in Southeast Asia. From 2015 to 2021 he was Team Leader for aquaculture development projects funded by USAID and the EU-GIZ in Myanmar (Burma). He is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor with the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok and he serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Monterey Bay Aquarium – Seafood Watch program. Dr. Fitzsimmons is also a co-founder and judge for the F3 Future of Fish Feeds Initiative and their associated F3 Challenges. He is a past President and a Fellow of the World Aquaculture Society. Currently he is serving as co-PI with PI Mamadou Baro on the Niger Resilience and Agribusiness Master’s Program.