John Todd (born 1939) is a Canadian biologist working in the general field of ecological design. He addresses problems of food production and wastewater processing by using ecosystems technologies that incorporate plants, animals and bacteria. Todd has developed "Arks" or "bioshelters", ecologically closed "life-support systems" with the goal of sustainable functioning. He combines alternative technologies for renewable energy, organic farming, aquaculture, hydroponics and architecture to create "living machines" or "eco-machines". John Todd is a co-founder with Nancy Jack Todd of the non-profits New Alchemy Institute (1969–1991) and Ocean Arks International (1981), and the founder and president of the design and engineering firm John Todd Ecological Design Inc. (1989). A research professor emeritus and distinguished lecturer at the University of Vermont, Todd has published books on ecological design, as well as over 200 scientific papers, popular articles and essays. Early life and education Todd was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1939 and grew up near Hamilton Bay on Lake Ontario. The area near his home included marshes and streams which were being badly damaged by pollution. The writings of Louis Bromfield offered Todd a "marvelous tale of hope" about the possibility of land restoration. Todd earned his B.Sc. (1961) in agriculture and his M.Sc. (1963) in parasitology and tropical medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He then did doctoral work in marine biology at the University of Michigan, studying fisheries and oceanography. His early professional interest in the behavioral ecology of fish was the basis of his work as an assistant professor of ethology at San Diego State University (1968–1970). Career John Todd joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, as an assistant scientist in 1970. At Woods Hole, John Todd began to develop his ideas about how complicated biological food chains worked. An important influence on Todd's thinking was his wife, Nancy Jack Todd, a dancer, writer, editor and activist. In their conversations Nancy wondered if ecological concepts could be applied to address people's needs. She encouraged John Todd to put "a human face" on his research. Since then, the couple have edited and co-written several books, and are co-recipients of a number of awards. New Alchemy Institute In 1969 the Todds and William O. McLarney co-founded the New Alchemy Institute in Cape Cod, Massachusetts to "engage in scientific research in the public interest on ecologically and behaviourally planned agriculture systems and rural land