Demetrios Caroussos (MA, 2022)

Demetrios Caroussos, born and raised on Long Island, graduated from the Marine Conservation and Policy(MCP) program in 2022.

Before joining the program, he spent seven years at the Long Island Aquarium, where he advanced from educator to education supervisor. He earned his B.S. in Marine Science from Florida Gulf Coast University. 

During his time in the MCP program, Demetrios worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) shellfish restoration projects and in the Gobler Lab. For his capstone project, he evaluated the ability of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) to remove harmful bacteria from the water during sewage overflow events, a project conducted through CCE and Flax Pond. He identifies the strong connections he made at Stony Brook as one of the highlights of his MCP experience. 

After graduating, his MCP research opened the door for him to join Cornell Cooperative Marine Extension full-time as an Marine Ecology and Aquaculture Educator, where he focused on restoring clams and oysters and continuing his ribbed mussel research at Flax Pond. As of 2025, he was hired by Stony Brook University to take over as the Flax Pond Laboratory Manager. 

Demetrios is a dedicated leader and passionate conservationist and continues to make a lasting impact in the field of marine conservation. Learn more about his journey in his alumni video highlight.