Joshua Idjadi

Joshua Idjadi is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Biology at Eastern Connecticut State University. His office is located in Science Room 358, and he can be reached at idjadij@easternct.edu or by phone at 860-465-0034 during his office hours (Tuesday 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Wednesday 1:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.).

Dr. Idjadi is a community ecologist whose research focuses on the causes of coral reef decline and recovery. He has conducted extensive field research in French Polynesia, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. His current research examines the feeding behavior of reef herbivores and how habitat and diet influence gut microbe communities in herbivorous fish. Prior to joining Eastern Connecticut State University, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the New England Aquarium and taught Ecology as an adjunct faculty member at Brown University.

His research interests span community ecology with particular emphasis on global and local factors driving coral reef decline and recovery, mechanisms promoting coral species coexistence, and reef herbivore feeding behavior. He has also collaborated with investigators from the New England Aquarium and UNH on projects examining ecological impacts of liquid natural gas ports and horseshoe crab foraging behavior.

Dr. Idjadi's publications reveal a consistent focus on coral reef dynamics, with significant contributions to understanding coral recovery processes, species interactions, and ecosystem shifts. His work demonstrates expertise in both Caribbean and Pacific reef systems, with research spanning from spatial ecology of corals to the role of herbivores in reef resilience.

Dr. Idjadi has made notable contributions to academic discourse, including co-organizing a special session of the Ecological Society of America conference to increase collaboration between terrestrial and marine ecologists.

In addition to his research, Dr. Idjadi maintains an active teaching role, primarily instructing General Ecology and Marine Ecology courses. He has developed innovative courses aligned with the university's liberal arts mission, including 'Ecology and the Environment' for non-biology majors and 'Everything You Know is Wrong: Human Bias and Irrationality.' He leads an active research laboratory with numerous undergraduate researchers working on projects both locally and in tropical environments.