Rate My Professor Daniel Rogers

Daniel R. Rogers serves as Associate Professor of Chemistry, Chair of the Chemistry Department, and Biochemistry Program Director at Stonehill College. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in 2010, an M.S. in Marine Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 2001, and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 1998. His academic career includes postdoctoral fellowships in deep-sea biogeochemistry at Harvard University from 2010 to 2014 and in coastal biogeochemistry at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 2014 to 2015. Rogers joined Stonehill College as Visiting Assistant Professor in 2014, was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2015, received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2021, and assumed the role of Department Chair in 2023. He maintains ongoing visiting scientist positions at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Harvard University.

Rogers applies analytical chemistry to investigate ecological processes, employing isotopic tracers, microsensors, metatranscriptomics, and quantitative gene expression analyses to track chemical transformations and microbial drivers in natural environments. In coastal systems, his research explores nutrient cycling and innovative remediation approaches, such as oyster aquaculture to enhance microbial nitrogen removal and combat eutrophication. In deep-sea settings, he studies microbial activities at the extremes of life, including hydrothermal vents and benthic sediments, focusing on carbon fixation, sulfate reduction, and geomicrobiological linkages. Key peer-reviewed publications include 'Comparison of oyster aquaculture methods and their potential to enhance microbial nitrogen removal from coastal ecosystems' (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021, co-authored with P. Mara et al.); 'Co-registered geochemistry and metatranscriptomics reveal unexpected distributions of microbial activity within a hydrothermal vent field' (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2017, co-authored with H.C. Olins et al.); 'A critical review of methods for assessing denitrification in oyster habitats and suggestions for future work' (Limnology and Oceanography Methods, 2021, co-authored with N.E. Ray et al.); and 'Geomicrobiological linkages between short-chain alkane consumption and sulfate reduction rates in seep sediments' (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2013, co-authored with A. Bose et al.). Rogers has delivered presentations at conferences including the Ocean Sciences Meeting, American Chemical Society National Meeting, and Cape Coastal Conference, and collaborates on research grants addressing nitrogen cycle shifts, coastal hypoxia, and carbon sequestration.