Rate My Professor Troy Gaston

Professor Troy Gaston is Associate Dean (Engagement and Outreach) in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia, within the Discipline of Environmental Science and Management. He earned his PhD and Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of New South Wales, along with a Graduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning from the University of Tasmania. Gaston's career trajectory includes serving as Lecturer in Environmental Science at the University of Newcastle since March 2012, Lecturer in Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Tasmania from July 2005 to March 2012, and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast from March 2002 to June 2005. He contributes to the executive team of the College of Engineering, Science and Environment as Associate Dean.

His research focuses on estuarine ecology, coastal and marine ecology, trophic interactions, ecosystem processes and health, bycatch reduction in fisheries, human disturbance, GIS and remote sensing, oceanography, and habitat-fishery linkages. Professor Gaston employs stable isotope analysis and advanced technologies such as remotely operated vehicles and drones in his studies of temperate Australian estuarine and coastal systems. Notable publications include 'Effects of persistent thermal plumes on Zostera muelleri reproductive effort, seed bank densities and seed bank viability' (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2026, with T. Moir et al.); 'Modernising sea cucumber surveys using remotely operated vehicles and aerial drones' (Coral Reefs, 2025, with J.E. Williamson et al.); 'Continental-Scale Assessment of Climate-Driven Marine Species Range Extensions Using a Decade of Citizen Science Data' (Diversity and Distributions, 2025, with B.W. Wolfe et al.); 'Resource use of great hammerhead sharks Sphyrna mokarran off eastern Australia' (Journal of Fish Biology, 2019, with V. Raoult et al.); and 'Habitat-fishery linkages in two major south-eastern Australian estuaries show that the C4 saltmarsh plant Sporobolus virginicus is a significant contributor to fisheries productivity' (Hydrobiologia, 2018, with V. Raoult and M.D. Taylor). His scholarship has garnered over 2,400 citations, advancing knowledge in ecosystem function and fisheries management.