John Emory Parks is the Founder and Ecologist of ExoScientific LLC, developing biologically integrated “bioware” systems and closed-loop ecological solutions to enable sustainable human settlement on the Moon and Mars. With more than 30 years of experience in marine science, coral reef ecology, and international development in remote environments, his current work focuses on coral reef propagation as foundational technology for oxygen production, supplemental nutrition, adaptive radiation shielding, and future terraforming applications in offworld habitats. He previously served as Senior Associate at Tetra Tech and Chief of Party on large-scale US Government-funded marine resource management and coral conservation initiatives across the Indo-Pacific. Parks has held senior roles at NOAA, World Wildlife Fund, and The Nature Conservancy, and is the author or co-author of more than 70 peer-reviewed articles, guides, and technical publications with over 5,000 citations.

