Stephen M. Coghlan, Jr.

Stephen M. Coghlan, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Freshwater Fisheries Ecology in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology at the University of Maine, part of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture. He has been a faculty member since 2006 and is actively engaged in teaching and research. His work is supported by the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, and he serves as the Maine Chapter Director for the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE).

His research spans the intersection of ecology, economics, and sustainability, focusing on how rural communities and individuals adapt to convergent crises of energy, climate, and economic instability through homesteading practices. These include sustenance fishing, hunting, firewood harvesting, maple sugaring, and restorative gardening. He applies biophysical economic models, particularly Energy Return on Investment (EROI), to assess the energetic and economic viability of these activities, uncovering hidden fossil fuel and financial subsidies that sustain them.

Teaching responsibilities include Freshwater Fisheries Ecology and Management, Ecological Statistics, General Ecology, and Biophysical Economics. His shift toward studying the "MetaCrisis" and societal "Great Simplification" reflects a broader concern with planetary carrying capacity and the limits of industrial capitalism. While no publications or students are listed in the provided text, his ongoing project—'Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Maine’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries in an Age of Scarcity'—demonstrates a forward-looking, transdisciplinary approach.

Stephen is actively involved in advocacy for steady-state economics and lives on a homestead along the Penobscot River, where he practices many of the self-sufficiency strategies he studies. He enjoys fishing, hunting, fly tying, gardening, and outdoor recreation.