Italy's Daniele Cagnazzi has travelled the world to study dolphins and is now based at CQUniversity Rockhampton, where he is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow with the Centre for Environmental Management...

What was a key turning point for you?

"I grew up interested in animal behaviour and once I tried scuba diving as a boy I became focused on becoming a marine researcher," Daniele said.

Daniele Cagnazzi

What are you doing now?

"I'm studying snub-fin and humpback dolphins ranging from Gladstone to Shoalwater Bay as they are on the priority list for conservation. We are looking at their general ecology and their population dynamics including home range and habitat use.

"We are also taking skin samples to assess genetic populations along the Queensland coast, to see whether they are isolated populations or if there is movement between them.

"Another interest is the toxicology, or assessing the presence of heavy metal trace elements in the dolphins."

What's coming up in future?

"I have a one-year contract and then the project will depend on funding."

What do you do outside the campus?

"I enjoy the gym and running on the beach as well as kite-surfing. I would like to try salsa dancing if I could find someone who teaches it."

What's something people might not know about you?

"As well as Europe, America and Australia, I've travelled to a range of other interesting places including Somalia, Kenya, Madagascar, Guatemala, Indonesia and Mexico, for research or pleasure."

What advice do you have for young people?

"You have to have a lot of dedication to be involved in this field. It's a hard job with small reward in the beginning and for many years."