Dr Daniel Wangpraseurt

Project Scientist (Assistant)

Department of Nanoengineering, UC San Diego

Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

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Interdisciplinary marine scientist working on marine ecophysiology and microhabitats.

My research interfaces coral reef science, algal biotechnology and (bio)engineering.

 

 

EDUCATION

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2015               PhD in Marine Science 

                         University of Technology Sydney

 

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2010              MSc in Aquatic Tropical Ecology 

                        Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

                        Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Germany 

        

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2008               BSc in Marine Biology

                         James Cook University, Australia

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2007               Pre-Diploma in Biology

                         University of Hamburg, Germany

           

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APPOINTMENTS

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2020-             Assistant Project Scientist

                         Department of Nanoengineering 

                         UC San Diego, USA

                          & visitor @ Scripps Institution of Oceanography

 

 

2020              Smithsonian Fellow

                        Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Panama

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2017-20        Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow

                         Department of Chemistry

                         University of Cambridge

                         UC San Diego, USA

                         & visiting fellow @ Scripps Institution of Oceanography

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2015-16        Carlsberg Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow

                         Department of Biology

                         University of Copenhagen

 

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RESESARCH GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

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2020             Gordon and Betty Moore Symbiosis Model Award   ($ 850 000)

                           'Biomimetic coral-algal photosymbios model systems'                          

                        Co-PI and technical project lead

                        coordinating international efforts between 4 institutes

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2020             Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship   ( $109 050)

                          'Coral bleaching ecophysiology under temperature, nutrient and light stress'                         

                       awarded for 2 years 

                       Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

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2020             EU Horizon 2020 Assemble+     (2600 Euro)

                  'Photo-MoC', Photobiology of mesophotic corals

                        Field research grant for work in Eilat, Israel

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2019             Henry Royce Entrepreneurship award    (1500 GBP)

                  Start-up accelerator grant for participation at Impulse

                       University of Cambridge, UK

 

 

2017-20      Global Marie Curie Fellowship, European Union (253 000 Euro)

                       'Bio-inspired photonics for enhanced microalgal photosynthesis'

                  biomicfuel.com

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2017             DAAD Postdoctoral Fellowship (awarded but declined)

 

 

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2016             Carlsberg Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship   ($ 190 488)

                  'Coral Biophotonics'

                        Understanding coral bio-optical properties

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2015             NSF Travel Grant    ($ 2000)

                  For participation in 'Ocean Microscale Biophysics' conference

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2014             Australian Coral Reef Society   ($2500)

                  Danielle Simmons Award

                       For field work on Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef

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2014             Australian Coral Reef Society   ($300)

                  Conference Travel grant               

                       For participation at the ACRS meeting

 

2014             Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, ($1000)

                       Science for Management Award 

                  'Role of coral optics in coral bleaching susceptibility'

 

2014             Vice Chancellor’s Travel Award, UTS  ($2500)

                  

 

2013             People’s Choice Award and Runner’s up Award  ($1500)

                          Three minute thesis presentation 'Coral Biophotonics'

                         University of Technology, Sydney

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2012-14       President’s Scholar   ($63 000)

                        University of Technology, Sydney

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2011-12       International Research Scholar  ($31 500)

                           University of Technology, Sydney 

 

 

2010             DAAD Fellow   ($2000)

                           For field work on mechanims of coral reef degrataion in Borneo

                        German Academic Exchange Service

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AWARDS AND HONORS

 

 

2016              Chancellor’s award for top 5 PhD theses

                           University of Technology, Sydney 

 

 

2013              Honourable mention for best student presentation

                        Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany

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2013              Runner’s up Award at the University Finals

                        People’s Choice Award at the Faculty of Science Finals 

                        University of Technology, Sydney

                         

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2010              Distinction Award for best MSc thesis

                        ISATEC (International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology and Management)

                        University of Bremen

 

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2008             Academic Medal for excellent undergraduate studies

                       James Cook University, Australia

 

 

2008             Dean’s List Recipient

                       James Cook University, Australia

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<2008           Selected for BEGYS-Class (1year reduced high school time due to excellent academic score)

 

 

 

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

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2020-            Associate Editor 

                        Frontiers in Marine Science: Coral Reefs

 

 

 

2019-20       Postdoc Committee

                        University of Cambridge

 

 

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2016-20       Guest Associate Editor (Frontiers in Marine Science)

 

 

2015-             Review Editor

                   Frontiers in Marine Science: Coral Reefs

 

2014-15        Newsletter Editor

                         Australian Coral Reef Society

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2013-15        Councilor

                          Australian Coral Reef Society

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2011-12        Student representative for the Faculty Board of Science 

                          University of Technology, Sydney

 

 

 

Reviewer      Global Change Biology, Plant physiology, Photochemistry & Photobiology, Marine Ecology                                    Progress Series, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, PeerJ, PLoS ONE,                                Geophysical Research Letters, Biology Open, Coral Reefs, Frontiers in Plant Science,                                              Frontiers in Marine Science, Frontiers in Physiology, Scientific Reports, Marine Biology, BMC                                Ecology, Biological Bulletin

 

 

TEACHING & MENTORING EXPERIENCE

As a Thai-German scientist with an international education, I have a strong interest to achieve diversity and inclusion in STEM. I have mentored a total of15 students of which 9 are from underrepresented groups. I continuously thrive to build an inclusive research environment.

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2020             Guest Lecturer

                        Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Cell Physiology course: Prof Martin Tresguerres)

 

2020              Mentor

                        Great minds in STEM

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2018             Guest Lecturer 

                       Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Cell Physiology course: Prof Martin Tresguerres)

 

2018             Guest Lecturer

                       Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Phycology: Marine Plant Biology SIO 183/283, Prof                                       Jennifer Smith)

 

2011-13      Tutor for core 1st year biology subjects (the Biosphere and Biocomplexity)

                        University of Technology, Sydney

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2008-09      Tutor for the 3rd year Plant physiology class

                        University of Bremen, Germany

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FIELD EXPEDITIONS, INTERNSHIPS & WORKSHOPS

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2020             Visiting researcher, Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences 

                       Eilat, Israel

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2019             European Algae Biomass Organization. Novel Foods workshop

                        Brussels, Belgium

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2019             European Algae Biomass Organization. Standardization workshop

                       Brussels, Belgium

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2019             Participant in career development programs

                        Cambridge University

                   

2018             Algae Biomass Summit. Greater Woodlands 

                       Texas, USA

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2012-19      Lead, co-lead and research student in over 10 coral reef research expeditions

                       Heron Island, Great  Barrier Reef, Australia

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2011-12     Volunteer

                      Friends of the Earth

                      Sydney, Australia

                 

2012            Participant

                      International Graduate School in Biophotonics, Sweden

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2011            Participant

                       Workshop on microsensor analysis in environmental science, Jutland, Denmark

 

2010             Friends of the Earth 

                       London, UK

 

2010             Coral Reef Research on reef degradation on a fisherman’s island 

                       Derawan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

 

2009             Participant

                        Workshop on advancing science and marine management

                        Java, Indonesia

 

2009             Volunteer for Fisheries Scientist Prof Daniel Pauly 

                        University of British Columbia, Canada

 

2009             Member of the workshop group Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Meerforschung

                       German Marine Science foundation) 

                       Hamburg, Germany

 

2008             Intern

                       Marine invasive species projects 

                        Bangkok, Thailand

 

2006             Intern

                       Curiquingue, Fair trade work with indigenous communities 

                       Tena, Ecuador

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ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE

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2021              Startblue, Scripps accelerator program selected participant https://startblue.ucsd.edu/

2019-            mantaz (mantaz.org, reefpark.org)

                        project lead

                        social enterprise helping rural communities and coral reefs

                       

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2019             Finalist (top 5 out of 60 teams)

                       UC San Diego Triton Innovation start up competition

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2019             UCSD Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. San Diego, USA

                        Rady School of Management

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2019             'Impulse' start-up accelerator

                       Selected participant

                       University of Cambridge

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PATENTS

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Bionic 3D printed corals. Wangpraseurt D, Vignolini S, Deheyn DD, You S, Chen S

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MEMBERSHIPS

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International Society for Reef Studies

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European Algae Biomass Association

 

 

Cambridge Cleantech

 

 

KEY SKILLS

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Theoretical     Photophysiology, coral reefs, bio-optics, bio-physics, ecophysiology, microalgae,                                                      microenvironmental ecology, microbiology, image processing, bioprinting, biomaterials

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Experimental  Chl a fluorimetry, microsensor technology (construction and application of electrochemical,                                liquid ion exchange membrane and fiber optics sensors), microalgal cultivation,                                                          photobioreactor design, polymer synthesis, optical analysis, bio-imaging (e.g., confocal                                          microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, optical coherence tomography, hyperspectral                                              imaging), 3D bioprinting

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Analytical        programming and modelling in Matlab, Origin, Fiji, Meshlab, Autodesk Inventor

 

LANGUAGES

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Bilingual German-English, Conversational in Spanish and Thai