Rate My Professor Daniele D'Agostino

Daniele D'Agostino is a postdoctoral researcher at New York University Abu Dhabi in the Water Research Center. He completed his PhD in Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham in 2020, with a thesis titled 'Phenotypic responses of coral reef fishes to extreme and novel environments.' His earlier degrees include an MRes in Marine Biology with first-class honours from the Polytechnic University of Marche in Italy in 2015, specializing in coral reef fish ecology, aquaculture, and nutrition, and a BSc in Ecology with first-class honours from the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' in 2009, with a focus on marine biology and aquaculture. He also completed a six-month Erasmus Placement at the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research in Norway.

His research centers on marine ecology, particularly coral reef fish ecology, acclimation and adaptation to extreme temperature and salinity conditions, phenotypic responses to human-induced environmental change, marine invasion ecology, ecotoxicology, and sustainable fisheries. At NYU Abu Dhabi since 2021, his work examines tolerance and acclimation of fish, corals, and seagrasses to extreme environments and climate change, as well as the impacts of desalination on marine ecosystems. Previous roles include Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham from 2020 to 2021 and Research Technician there from 2013 to 2015. He has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed publications including 'Growth impacts in a changing ocean: insights from two coral reef fishes in an extreme environment' in Coral Reefs (2021), 'The influence of thermal extremes on coral reef fish behaviour in the Arabian/Persian Gulf' in Coral Reefs (2020), and 'Behavioural traits and feeding ecology of Mediterranean lionfish and naiveté of native species to lionfish predation' in Marine Ecology Progress Series (2020). Additional contributions appear in Nature Ecology and Evolution and Molecular Ecology. He has presented at conferences such as the Fisheries Society of the British Isles symposia and the European Coral Reef Symposium, received a Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship for his PhD, and serves as a peer reviewer for journals including Coral Reefs. He has co-supervised student projects and demonstrated laboratory and field techniques in courses on animal behaviour, aquatic biology, and conservation genetics.