Toby S. Daly-Engel, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor | Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Florida Tech

  • Melbourne FL

Dr. Daly-Engel's research uses genomics, field ecology and modelling to study shark populations.

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Florida Tech Shark Biologist Stars in National Geographic Program on Shark Attacks

Toby Daly-Engel, the distinguished shark biologist and director of Florida Tech’s Shark Conservation Lab, is a featured expert on “When Sharks Attack…and Why,” an eight-episode program debuting this week as part of National Geographic’s SharkFest 2023. The series debuts July 6 at 9 p.m. Eastern on National Geographic with new episodes airing nightly through July 12. It is also now streaming on Disney+, Hulu and the National Geographic website. The series will air on Nat Geo Wild starting July 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern. As its name suggests, “When Sharks Attack…and Why” investigates shark encounters in America and around the world. “Many attacks are appearing in new and surprising places,” the network notes. Episodes explore incidents in New York, California, Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia and elsewhere. At Florida Tech, Daly-Engel conducts research using a combination of genomics, field ecology and modeling to study shark mating systems and habitat use, and the impacts of climate change on shark populations. On the program, she is our expert guide to anatomical and physiological aspects of sharks, many of which are unique to this species. We first meet Daly-Engel in Episode 1, New York Nightmare. Filmed in her lab, she talks viewers through key parts of a shark’s body using a small dogfish shark. She tells viewers that while a shark’s sense of smell is often touted, these apex predators also have powerful hearing, far better than humans. (In a later episode, she notes a shark’s vision in murky waters is about 10 times stronger than human vision in those conditions.) “I really enjoyed delving into the science behind shark-human interactions,” Daly-Engel said, “and busting the myths that make people afraid of the water.” Daly-Engel is no stranger to SharkFest. Last year she was featured in another SharkFest series, “Shark Attack File,” and she has been on SharkFest and Discovery’s Shark Week programing multiple times, including 2021 when she appeared on three programs across both networks. Looking to know more about shark encounters and attacks? Then let us help with your coverage and questions. Toby Daly-Engel is an assistant professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences department at Florida Tech. He's available to speak with media about this topic simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.

Toby S. Daly-Engel, Ph.D.

Areas of Expertise

Molecular Ecology
Shark Behavior
Marine Biology
Field Ecology
Genomics

About

Toby Daly-Engel's research uses a combination of genomics, field ecology and modeling to study mating systems, habitat use and the impacts of climate change on shark populations.

She is interested in how reproductive behaviors, particularly from a female fitness perspective, interact with the environment to influence species, populations, individuals and genomes.

Dr. Daly-Engel (she/her) grew up in upstate New York and got her BA in biology at Oberlin College. She worked in Boston for two years before going on to get her Master’s and Ph.D. in zoology with a specialization in ecology, evolution and conservation biology at the University of Hawaii.

She won accolades as an assistant professor at the University of West Florida, where she ran a shark tagging field program and helped found the West Florida chapter of the Association for Women in Science.

In Fall 2017, she moved her research to the Florida Institute of Technology.

As director of the Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab, Dr. Daly-Engel and her students work with collaborators from state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and public groups to study how reproduction and rising temperatures shape movement patterns in large migratory fishes, identify cryptic species, and work to increase representation for women in science, especially women of color.

Media Assets

Media Appearances

Don’t Call Them ‘Shark Attacks,’ Scientists Say

The New York Times  

2021-07-20

Unprovoked bites sometimes take place in murky water, Dr. Daly-Engel said, as when a white shark mistakes a surfer for a seal.

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Why some scientists want to rebrand shark attacks as 'negative encounters'

CBC  

2021-07-22

Dropping the phrase "shark attack" is a great way to change the narrative about the much-maligned sea creatures, says marine scientist Toby Daly-Engel.

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Florida Tech Shark Biologist Toby Daly-Engel Will Star in Shark Week and SharkFest Programs

Space Coast Daily  

2021-07-09

A sought-after expert interviewed by national media outlets including Fox & Friends, National Public Radio, and The Atlantic, Daly-Engel first participated in Shark Week in 2016 and made her most recent appearance in 2018. She returns in a major way in 2021.

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Education

University of Hawaii

Ph.D.

Zoology, specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology

2009

University of Hawaii

M.S.

Zoology

2007

Oberlin College

B.A.

Biology

2000

Social

Selected Articles

Age-Dependent Dispersal and Relatedness in Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier)

Frontiers in Marine Science

2022

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Reviewing the genetic evidence for sex-biased dispersal in elasmobranchs

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries

2021

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Multiple paternity in two populations of finetooth sharks (Carcharhinus isodon) with varying reproductive periodicity

Ecology and Evolution

2021

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Affiliations

  • Discovery's Shark Week : Presenter

Style

Availability

  • Author Appearance
  • Corporate Training