Climate Pathfinder: Anchored in Ocean Entrepreneurship

MBA student Eliza Harrison sees the potential of seaweed in supporting a wide range of climate mitigation strategies

Eliza Harrison holding seaweed on a boat
MBA student Eliza Harrison's expertise spans the full seaweed supply chain – from cultivation and harvesting to processing and product development. She sees seaweed not just as a climate solution, but as a platform for innovation across habitat restoration, carbon capture, animal feed and sustainable materials such as bioplastics.

Growing up amid the rugged beauty of northern New Mexico – with boundless access to skiing, hiking and whitewater kayaking – Duke MBA student Eliza Harrison developed an early and enduring connection to the natural world.

“Access to the outdoors has always been central to who I am,” Harrison said. “It’s shaped how I move through the world and how I see my place in it.”

But living near the Santa Fe National Forest also meant witnessing firsthand the increasingly dire effects of climate change. That dual experience – deep appreciation for nature, coupled with early exposure to environmental threats – sparked a lasting commitment to sustainability that has taken Harrison from California to the Carolinas, and from Mexico to the Faroe Islands in the north Atlantic.

As a Robertson Scholar jointly studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke, Harrison majored in environmental health science to explore the intersection of climate science and human well-being. A natural storyteller and systems thinker, she became especially interested in the role narratives could play in driving environmental action.

Her introduction to seaweed aquaculture, in fact, began through storytelling. While attending the Bioneers Conference in California during her sophomore year, she heard a speaker describe the potential of seaweed to reduce carbon emissions and improve food security.

“It was a lightbulb moment,” she recalled. “I had never thought of the ocean – let alone seaweed – as a frontier for climate solutions.”

She spent the following semester conducting research with Duke scientists studying local seaweed species along the North Carolina coast. That summer, she booked a one-way ticket to Scandinavia, determined to gain hands-on experience with leading seaweed research institutions across Northern Europe.

“I heard ‘no’ more times than I can count,” she said. “Then I found a company called Ocean Rainforest in the Faroe Islands. I emailed the CEO late on a Friday, had an interview Saturday morning, and by Monday, I was on a plane to the Faroes.”

For nearly a month, Harrison worked shoulder to shoulder with the Ocean Rainforest team – harvesting, processing and packaging seaweed. That experience launched what would become years of deep engagement in the emerging field.

“Seaweed is an incredibly dynamic resource,” she said. “It has the potential to support a wide range of climate mitigation strategies – from the way it’s cultivated to the many uses of its final products.”

That passion led Harrison to co-found the company Phyta with two fellow UNC students – a start-up focused on exploring the viability of seaweed farming along the North Carolina coast. While the startup ultimately wound down, the work reinforced her belief in the promise of the fledgling seaweed industry.

Diver in the ocean with seaweed
Eliza Harrison earned her scuba certification in Thailand in 2019, after graduating from UNC.

After stepping away from Phyta, she returned to Ocean Rainforest – this time as its first U.S.-based employee – and helped the company launch operations in California through a Department of Energy contract. Her work culminated in a landmark achievement: securing the first U.S. permit issued exclusively for seaweed aquaculture, a process that took 18 months of persistence and advocacy.

In the Fuqua School of Business, where Harrison is an MBA student, she has worked closely on initiatives that combine her love of oceans and business. Dan Vermeer, Fuqua faculty member and executive director of the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment, said Harrison has contributed to the community and to initiatives.

“In a short time here at Duke, Eliza has helped to grow the level of interest among students in Oceans@Duke community, and has engaged an impressive network of ocean leaders across the country and around the world. She is poised to be a real leader in this critical and fast-growing area,” Vermeer said.

Harrison’s expertise spans the full seaweed supply chain – from cultivation and harvesting to processing and product development. She sees seaweed not just as a climate solution, but as a platform for innovation across habitat restoration, carbon capture, animal feed and sustainable materials such as bioplastics.

“There’s no single silver bullet for solving climate change,” she said. “But I believe seaweed can play a powerful role in building a more sustainable, regenerative future.”

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