Dr. Wayne O’Connor is the Senior Principal Research Scientist at NSW DPI, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute. Wayne is a molluscan biologist, physiologist, and ecologist with an interest in the culture of marine invertebrates, particularly bivalves. His primary research interests are in the fields of molluscan aquaculture and he has extensive experience in hatchery propagation, selective breeding, and culture of oysters, pearl oysters, scallops, clams, and mussels. Wayne also has an interest in ecotoxicology and has worked on the impacts of a range of pollutants, microplastics, and climate change variables in the aquatic environment. With 35 years of experience in mollusc aquaculture, Wayne is Director of the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute and has led NSW DPI’s Aquaculture Research unit since 2011.