Maine Science Podcast - LeAnn Whitney, episode 100

A conversation with LeAnn Whitney, Associate Professor of Oceanography in the Corning School of Ocean Studies at Maine Maritime Academy.

LeAnn is a phytoplankton molecular ecologist, or, according to her daughter, a phytoplankton nerd. LeAnn grew up in Machias, and thanks to her participation in the Keller BLOOM Program at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences as a junior in high school, she found her love for plankton and studying the ocean for a living.

After receiving her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Rhode Island in 2012, LeAnn returned to Maine - first as a postdoctoral researcher at Bigelow  and in 2018, joining the faculty at Maine Maritime Academy.

LeAnn was one of this year’s 5 Minute Genius speakers at the 2026 Maine Science Festival.

This conversation was recorded in May 2026.