MinerAlert
MinerAlert
October 2025
By Tanya Torres '19, '21
UTEP alumnus Dr. Reginald “Reg” Blaylock’s story begins in Canton, a quiet farming town in the western mountains of North Carolina. Surrounded by animals and open landscapes, he developed a fascination with the natural world but had no clear direction for his future as he entered college.
“I didn’t know going into undergraduate or graduate school what I wanted to do,” Reg said. “It was a process of figuring it out and being able to adapt and capitalize on opportunities.”
That openness led him to biology. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Wake Forest University, Reg moved to El Paso, Texas, to pursue a master’s in biology at UTEP, graduating in 1989.
“You must have an open mind,” he said. “You never know where those opportunities are going to take you,” he said.
Parasitology and the Power of Mentorship
At the University, Reg studied under Dr. Al Canaris, then Chair of Biology and an expert in parasitology.
“At that time, UTEP had three parasitologists and one of them was doing things that I was interested in,” Reg said. “So, I moved three quarters of the way across the country to El Paso to start my graduate education.”
UTEP also introduced him to marine biology through a field course led by Dr. Jack Bristol and Dr. Lillian Mayberry. A trip to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, where students worked in the intertidal zone, sparked a new fascination and forged lasting friendships. Jack passed away in 2023, and Reg remained close with Lillian until her death in September 2025.
“UTEP helped me build all of these foundations and relationships,” he said. “It helped me build a career in parasitology.”
A Path Toward Aquaculture
Through his mentors, Reg connected with a leader in ecological parasitology, which led him to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. There, he studied host-parasite relationships in aquatic systems, research that laid the groundwork for his future in aquaculture.
With his background in parasitology, Reg brought a unique perspective to fish farming, focusing on disease prevention, food safety, and environmental balance. Over time, he transitioned from researcher to leader, shaping sustainable aquaculture practices around the world.
Today, he serves as Director of the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center at the University of Southern Mississippi in Ocean Springs. His team develops techniques in biology, engineering, nutrition, and reproductive physiology to grow aquatic species and meet the protein demands of a rapidly growing population.
“Aquaculture is a very efficient way of producing protein,” Reg explained. “To produce a pound of beef, it takes eight to ten pounds of food and up to 2,000 gallons of water. For fish, it only takes about a pound and a half of food, and in the same water, you can grow 900 pounds of fish.”
That same curiosity that first took root in North Carolina continues to drive his work today.
“I still work on diseases, so that’s an absolute connection,” he said. “UTEP was important in teaching me how to be a scientist. A part of the foundation of my career is what I did at UTEP.”
Feeding the Future
Reg’s journey from studying parasites to leading global efforts in sustainable seafood reflects a career shaped by discovery, mentorship, and the courage to follow opportunity.
“Success is about being able to look at your life and understand you had a positive impact on something,” he said. “That you have made someone’s life better, made the world better, gained new knowledge and actually changed the world around you in a positive way.”
From a quiet farm town to the labs at UTEP and now to the forefront of global food sustainability, Dr. Reginald Blaylock’s journey is a testament to the power of curiosity, mentorship, and staying open to possibility. His path shows that a scientific career doesn’t have to be predetermined. It can evolve through experiences, friendships and passions.