1998: Ph,.D. thesis completed on land-based cultivation of Pyropia (Porphyra) yezeoensis.

1998: Pilot scale facility built and managed for land-based cultivation of Gelidium vagum at NELHA Hawaii, the largest production ever achieved for this species

2000: Paddlewheel raceway (400ft.) production of Devaleraea (Palmaria) mollis as abalone feed.

2000-2002: Design, construction, operation of expanded to full-scale aerated pond (6500m2) cultivation of Devaleraea (Palmaria) mollis at HOST Park Hawaii.

2004: Pilot scale production of Ulva fasciata as biofilter within Abalone effluent.

2007-2012: Principal Researcher leading interdisciplinary team of scientists bioprospecting for high value functional food products/species for land-based cultivation. Partners included Dalhousie University and National Research Council of Canada. Species grown at pilot scale quarantine facility included: Chondrus crispus, Gymnogongrus devoniensis, Palmaria palmata, Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii, Codium fragile, Meristotheca papulosa, Mastocarpus stellatus, Solieria chordalis, Grateloupia filicina, Chondracanthus chamissoi, Delesseria sanguinea, Asparagopis armata, Fucus distichus edentatus, and Pyropia (Porphyra) conchocelis species including purpurea, leucosticta, miniata, linearis, 

2009: Pilot scale production of Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii as Japanese-style hot food ingredient.

2013: Full scale production of a special Palmaria palmata cultivar provided by NRC with high kainic acid for high value equine deworming agent, enhancement of kainic acid levels in culture.

2014: Focused on Chondrus crispus cultivation optimization, nutrient loading trials leads to lower production cost per kg produced.

2015-2017: Epiphytes completely eliminated in Chondrus crispus production, leading to increased yields and lower cost of production.

2016: Aerial drone multispectral photography developed as a tool for tank biomass management.

2016: Aeration system/manifolds optimized leading to immediately lowered production costs.

2019: Focused on foreign material removal from Chondrus crispus production, prevention and dry-line removal leads to virtual elimination of foreign material in end products.

2020: Domestication of Palmaria palmata from wild collected individuals began in an effort to diversify product portfolio.

2023: Full-scale production of Palmaria palmata, resulted in an increase of the world's dulse supply by 25% in a single season.

2007-2025, Senior Scientist, Cultivated Seaweeds: Acadian Seaplants Limited (ASL). Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, Canada.

My work at ASL began in 2007 as lead researcher on a multidisciplinary project investigating the commercial cultivation of land-based seaweeds for application as functional foods / nutraceuticals. Research activities included the optimization of seaweed (Chondrus crispus and Palmaria palmata) culture on-land at the largest such facility in the world. I worked on new product development, biological/engineering optimization and the integration of new technologies into on-land cultivation for high productivity, controlled, consistent and predictable quality, and lowest possible cost.

2006 – 2007, Aquaculture Consultant: Grow - Aquaculture Consulting Service. Kona, Hawaii.

I founded Grow - Aquaculture Consulting Services in October 2006 and my company offered the following consulting services to the diverse Hawaiian aquaculture industry: system design, experimental design and data analysis, project management, on-land algae cultivation, technical writing, staff training / program development. Contracts included fin-fish aquaculture and micro/macro algal cultivation feasibility studies.

2000 – 2006, VP Production and Research: Big Island Abalone Corporation. Hawaiian Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park, Kona, Hawaii.

Big Island Abalone Corporation cultivates premium quality abalone for domestic and international markets and is the largest Abalone producer in North America. This company is unique in that it also cultivates its food source, the marine macroalgae Devaleraea (Palmaria) mollis (in fact BIAC is the world’s second largest land-based seaweed producer after ASL). As Production and Research Manager I was responsible for producing feed for over 1.9 million grow-out sized animals (many more in nursery), monitoring abalone and algae production, and developing and implementing research plans to enhance both algae and abalone production. I began work at BIAC during the “start-up” phase and took production from pilot scale to full commercial production in 2 years. During that time we tested large-scale paddlewheel raceways and earthen ponds for Devaleraea (Palmaria) mollis production. The systems put in place during my tenure at BIAC are still largely in place today.

1998-2000, Lead Scientist: Marine BioProducts International, National Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), Kona, Hawaii

Responsible for all on-site operations of pilot site for Gelidium vagum cultivation. This included the design and construction of the tanks, seawater, aeration and harvest systems. Inoculum was transferred to Kona from Bamfield, and the site was operated as a quarantine facility to assess G. vagum’s productivity under Hawaiian conditions. Marine BioProducts International extracted bacteriological quality agarose from cultivated G. vagum.

2020

Kulshreshtha, G., Critchley, A., Rathgeber, B., Stratton, G., Banskota, A. H., Hafting, J., & Prithiviraj, B. (2020). Antimicrobial effects of selected, cultivated red seaweeds and their components in combination with tetracycline against the poultry pathogen Salmonella Enteritidis. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(7), 511.

2016

Kulshreshtha, G., Rathgeber, B., MacIsaac, J., Boulianne, M., Stratton, G., Thomas, N., Critchley, A., Hafting, J., & Prithiviraj, B. (2016). Red seaweeds Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii and Chondrus crispus down-regulate virulence factors of Salmonella Enteritidis and induce immune responses in Caenorhabditis elegans. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 521.

2015

Hafting, J. T., Craigie, J. S., Stengel, D. B., Loureiro, R. R., Buschmann, A. H., Yarish, C., Edwards, M. D., & Critchley, A. T. (2015). Prospects and challenges for industrial production of seaweed bioactives. Journal of Phycology, 51(5), 821–837.

Liu, J., Banskota, A. H., Critchley, A. T., Hafting, J., & Prithiviraj, B. (2015). Neuroprotective effects of the cultivated Chondrus crispus in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Parkinson’s disease. Marine Drugs, 13(4), 2250–2266.

Kulshreshtha, G., Burlot, A.-S., Marty, C., Critchley, A. T., Hafting, J., Bedoux, G., Bourgougnon, N., & Prithiviraj, B. (2015). Enzyme-assisted extraction of bioactive material from Chondrus crispus and Codium fragile and its effect on herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). Marine Drugs, 13(1), 558–580.

Kulshreshtha, G., Rathgeber, B., Stratton, G., Thomas, N., Evans, F., Critchley, A., Hafting, J., & Prithiviraj, B. (2015). Prebiotic effects of diet supplemented with the cultivated red seaweed Chondrus crispus or fructooligosaccharide on gut microbiota and immune response in layer hens. Poultry Science, 94, 2991–3001.

2014

Banskota, A. H., Stefanova, R., Sperker, S., Lall, S. P., Craigie, J. S., Hafting, J. T., & Critchley, A. T. (2014). Polar lipids from the marine macroalga Palmaria palmata inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Phytochemistry, 101, 101–108.

Banskota, A. H., Stefanova, R., Sperker, S., Lall, S. P., Craigie, J. S., & Hafting, J. T. (2014). Lipids isolated from the cultivated red alga Chondrus crispus inhibit nitric oxide production in macrophages. Journal of Applied Phycology, 26, 1565–1571.

2013

Hafting, J. T., Critchley, A. T., Cornish, M. L., Hubley, S. A., & Archibald, A. F. (2013). On-land cultivation of functional seaweed products for human usage. Journal of Applied Phycology, 24, 385–392.

Kulshreshtha, G., Rathgeber, B., Stratton, G., Thomas, N., Evans, F., Critchley, A., Hafting, J., & Prithiviraj, B. (2013). Bioactive components of the cultivated red seaweed Chondrus crispus enhance immune response and oxidative stress tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Frontiers in Microbiology.

2012

Hafting, J. T., Critchley, A. T., Cornish, M. L., Hubley, S. A., & Archibald, A. F. (2012). On-land cultivation of functional seaweed products for human usage. Journal of Applied Phycology, 24, 385–392.
(Note: Sometimes indexed under 2012; print version cited as 2013.)

2011

Critchley, A. T., Hafting, J. T., Cornish, M. L., Hubley, S. A., & Archibald, A. F. (2011). Marine plant production for high-value applications in functional food and cosmeceutical products: Security of supply and traceability. In Proceedings of the International Seaweed Symposium.

1999

Hafting, J. T. (1999). A novel technique for propagation of Porphyra yezoensis Ueda blades in suspension cultures via monospores. Journal of Applied Phycology, 11, 361–367.

Hafting, J. T. (1999). Effect of tissue nitrogen and phosphorus quota on growth of Porphyra yezoensis blades in suspension cultures. Hydrobiologia, 398, 305–314.
(Also published as a chapter in Sixteenth International Seaweed Symposium proceedings.)

1998

Hafting, J. T. (1998). Strategies for growth management of Porphyra yezoensis (Ueda) blades in suspension cultures: A step towards land-based mariculture (Doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia).