Thierry B.R. Chopin died unexpectedly from cardiac arrhythmia on 18th July 2024 at the age of sixty-five. Applied phycology has lost a very dedicated researcher and teacher, and many of us have lost a close friend. Chopin began his career at the University of Lyon (France) where her received a Diplôme d’Etudes Universitaires Générales equivalent to a Bachelor of Science. In 1981, he received his “Maîtrise” (Master of Science) in Marine Biology. In 1982, he returned to the University of Western Brittany, in Brest, France, to complete a Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Biology on the ecophysiology and biochemistry of seaweeds, with particular focus on the carrageenan of Chondrus crispus (Irish Moss) under the supervision of Dr. Jean Yves Floc’h from 1982-1985. In 1985, Chopin contacted Dr. J. Pringle from the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Marine Invertebrates and Plants Section, to arrange for a visiting scientist position. Thus, in February of 1985, Chopin found himself on Prince Edward Island with Dr. L. Hanic from the University of Prince Edward Island, studying Chondrus crispus in Miminegash, Prince Edward Island. In 1987, he became a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of the late Dr. Dennis Hanisak at the Harbor Branch Ocean Institution, Florida, USA. Later that year he accepted an assistant professorship at the University of Lille Flandres-Artois (France). Chopin returned to Canada where he accepted an assistant professorship at the University of New Brunswick upon the urging of Dr. Pringle. He spent his entire career at the University of New Brunswick where he rose through the ranks and in 1998 was promoted to Professor. From 2019-2023, he became a member of the University of New Brunswick’s Board of Governors. During Chopin’s career he built an internationally respected laboratory dedicated to ecophysiology, biochemistry, ecology, and aquaculture of commercially important seaweeds. He was one of the pioneers in the development of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA). He was the director of the Seaweed and IMTA Research Laboratory at the University of New Brunswick, past president of the Phycological Society of America, the International Seaweed Association, and the Aquaculture Association of Canada. Chopin published more than 186 refereed papers, 30 book chapters, 48 non-refereed publications and 456 abstracts representing participation in more than 300 scientific meetings! He taught 2,840 undergraduate students and 141 graduate students over the course of 35 years. He believed strongly in training future scientists and was involved in the direct or indirect supervision of 23 honors and summer students, 65 M.Sc. students, 41 Ph.D. students and 8 post-doctoral fellows. Highlights of Chopin’s career as an environmental champion, and his contributions to IMTA will be presented.