Bejamin Cuker, PhD, holds degrees from The University of Michigan (BS, 1976; MS, 1978) and North Carolina State University (PhD, 1981). His entire academic career was at historically black universities, including Shaw University (1981 – 1988) and Hampton University (1988 – 2021).

He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Hampton University, a 1999 Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, author of “Diet for a Sustainable Ecosystem: The science for recovering the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its people,” and noted for developing pioneering programs for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the aquatic sciences. He garnered $9.5 million in grants and contracts from the NSF, USEPA, NOAA, and other entities to support his research and diversity efforts. His research included the limnology of Arctic lakes and temperate reservoirs, as well as the Chesapeake Bay, with publications in Limnology and Oceanography, Ecology, and many other journals.

He is the recipient of several honors, including the first to receive both the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography’s (ASLO) Distinguished Service (1993) and Excellence in Education (1999) awards. He served on the ASLO Board of directors (1992 – 1995) and as an advisor to various scientific societies and government agencies. He helped found the Hampton University varsity sailing team in 1994, the first (and still the only) at an HBCU. His teaching a course entitled “Eating for a Healthy You and a Sustainable Planet” led him to become a whole-food vegan in 2013.