Bio

Dr. David Eggleston is an Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor at NC State University, and also serves as Director of NC State’s marine laboratory, the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST), located in Morehead City. He leads the Marine Ecology and Conservation program at NC State University, where his research spans fisheries ecology, habitat restoration, conservation biology, deep sea biology, detecting ecological impacts, behavioral ecology, population dynamics and modeling, and marine science education. Eggleston has been conducting basic and applied marine research since 1985, and serves on the advisory boards of state, national and international coastal and marine science organizations. Eggleston has been recognized for excellence in research by the National Science Foundation via an Early Career Award, excellence in outreach via an Outstanding Extension Service Award by NC State University, and is a member of the NC Academy of Outstanding Teachers. He loves scuba-diving, boating, fishing, and playing drums in his son’s band, The Brothers Egg.

Area(s) of Expertise

Emphasize testing and refining general ecological theory and concepts in marine systems with the goal that answers will:
(1) make important contributions to our understanding of ecological patterns and processes in marine ecosystems, and
(2) be applied to sustainable management of natural resources and coastal communities.

Using a combination of field observations, field and laboratory experiments, computer simulation modeling, and geochemical tracer and molecular tools to test assumptions and develop a mechanistic understanding of animal behavior, population connectivity and ecosystem dynamics. Study systems range from tropical to temperate, and shallow estuarine to deep-sea. Study species range from marine and freshwater fish to macro-invertebrates, especially crabs, lobster and bivalves. Research spans the disciplines of biology, ecology, physics, economics, mathematics, statistics, and chemistry. Graduates become future leaders in academia, research and management

Publications

• Data from: Otter trawl fish and blue crab survey results from the 2022-2023 Beaufort Inlet, NC, USA dredge project , DRYAD (2026)
• Environmental drivers of juvenile Atlantic blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) abundance in Northern Adriatic , Regional Studies in Marine Science (2026)
• Hurricane impacts on oyster reef habitat in a large, wind-driven estuary , Frontiers in Marine Science (2026)
• POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CHANNEL DREDGING ON COMMERCIALLY AND RECREATIONALLY IMPORTANT NEKTON , SSRN Electronic Journal (2026)
• Shell trace elemental data (geochemical fingerprints) from larval samples collected during cruises AT42-24, AT50-04, and TN391 in the Gulf of Mexico and Northwestern Atlantic in 2020, 2021, and 2022 , Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (2026)
• Shell trace elemental fingerprints of the deep-sea methane seep mussel Gigantidas childressi vary by depth, site, and shell growth region , Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers (2026)
• Translating science into evidence-based policy for the protection and restoration of essential fish habitat , ICES Journal of Marine Science (2026)
• A potential bottom-up cascade on the abundance of invasive Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus in northwestern Adriatic lagoons , Marine Environmental Research (2025)
• From ecological to anthropogenic factors: unraveling the drivers of blue crab Callinectes sapidus occurrence along the Mediterranean coasts , Frontiers in Marine Science (2025)
• Impacts of the invasive blue crab Callinectes sapidus on small-scale fisheries in a Mediterranean lagoon using fishery landing data , The Science of The Total Environment (2025)