Hi, my name is Dario Di Girolamo, and I’m excited to be a new QUADRAT PhD student in cohort 6. Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve been captivated by nature as it has always fascinated me and sparked my curiosity. As children, we naturally inquire about the world around us, asking questions like, “Why are leaves green?” and “How do fish breathe underwater?” This curiosity has never left me; if anything, it burns brighter now and has guided me toward a career in ecology.
In Belfast, many residents find themselves asking, “What is happening to Lough Neagh?” As the largest freshwater lake in the UK, Lough Neagh is currently facing several environmental issues, including eutrophication, algal blooms, biodiversity loss, rising water temperatures, and invasive species. The goal of my research is to understand how eutrophication has affected food web structure and whether this has eroded the resilience of the Lough Neagh ecological community and its capacity to absorb, recover, and adapt to perturbations such as climate change and eutrophication.
Originally from Montreal, Canada, I completed my BSc in Biology with a specialization in Ecology at Concordia University. During my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate to participate in the Concordia Co-op program, which provided invaluable real-world experiences through three internships. These opportunities allowed me to learn and grow in various roles, including as a bioanalytical services intern at Altascience, a data analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and a research assistant at Concordia University.
My undergraduate thesis helped narrow my research focus toward lake communities and ecosystems. I investigated the efficiency of a method called ‘Fisher Information’ in detecting regime shifts within a simulated lake trophic triangle. This experience solidified my passion for understanding ecological dynamics, leading me to pursue my MSc.
I completed my MSc in Biology with a specialization in Aquatic Ecology at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), under the supervision of Dr. Beatrix Beisner and Dr. Zofia Taranu (ECCC). My research focused on understanding the key abiotic and biotic drivers of community composition among phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish, and how their importance varies spatially across 600 lakes in Canada. By the end of my degree, I knew I wanted to continue researching lake community and ecosystem dynamics, and I felt it was the right time to gain some international experience. This desire ultimately led me to move to Belfast for my PhD.
