Rodrigo Calderón is a Ph.D. fellow at the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences (MACN-CONICET) in Buenos Aires, supported by a doctoral scholarship from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). His research focuses on the taxonomy and reproductive strategies of cold-water stony corals from the Southwest Atlantic. He is particularly interested in these organisms due to their role as ecosystem engineers, creating structurally complex habitats that serve as biodiversity hotspots and are important areas to consider for conservation strategies. Along these lines, he also contributes to a Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) initiative assessing the status of cold-water corals in regions under hydrocarbon exploration.
He holds a Licenciatura in Biological Sciences (a six-year degree) from the University of Buenos Aires, where he is also pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. While completing his undergraduate degree, he worked as a teaching assistant for the course “Introduction to Zoology” at the same institution. The upcoming Falkor (too) expedition will be his first research cruise using ROV technology, and he is excited to contribute to the science team’s efforts to explore the deep-sea ecosystems of the Southwest Atlantic.
Cruises:
