Rate My Professor John Duff

John Duff is a Professor in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he serves as Graduate Program Director. He earned a BSBA in Management from the University of Lowell in 1985, a JD from Suffolk University School of Law in 1990, an LLM in Law and Marine Affairs from the University of Washington School of Law in 1995, and an MA in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Mississippi in 1997. Duff designs and directs research projects on laws and policies governing ocean and coastal resources. He teaches courses on environmental law, coastal zone law, and ocean resource policy. His areas of expertise encompass environmental law, ocean and coastal management and policy, and professional and scientific communication. Duff served as the inaugural faculty fellow to the Living on Earth public radio program, a weekly environmental news show distributed by Public Radio International. In this role, he engaged in research and production of radio segments on ecological issues broadcast in 2015, serving as co-producer, reporter, producer, photographer, and interviewer for topics including U.S. fishing rules, plastic marine debris, testing Boston Harbor for plastics, cleaning up Boston Harbor, protecting blue whales, climate change policy, Arctic leadership, federal greenhouse gases, environmental settlements, presidential candidates on climate, and Harvard divestment from fossil fuels.

Duff has published extensively on ocean and coastal law and policy. Notable publications include 'US Ocean Priorities Shift with a New Administration' in Ocean Yearbook Volume 33 (2019); 'Public Shoreline Access in Maine: A Citizen’s Guide to Ocean and Coastal Law,' Third Edition (2016); 'Prospects and Pitfalls of Desalination Development: Insights From Three States' in Ocean and Coastal Law Journal 22:2 (2017); 'The voice of local authorities in coastal and marine spatial planning in the northeast' in Sea Grant Law & Policy Journal 8:1 (2017); 'On the Right Way to Right Whale Protections in the Gulf of Maine: Case Study' in Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy 16:4 (2013); 'International Progress in Marine Spatial Planning' in Ocean Yearbook Volume 27 (2013); 'Offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zone: Legal and policy supports and impediments in Germany and the US' in Energy Policy 37 (2009); and 'Planning Framework Options for The Massachusetts Ocean Plan' (2009). His scholarship contributes to advancements in marine spatial planning, offshore energy development, public access to shorelines, and ecosystem-based ocean management.