Ronald Osinga

Dr. Ronald Osinga is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Animal Ecology at Wageningen University & Research. His research focuses on the ecophysiology of marine invertebrates, particularly scleractinian corals and sponges, with an emphasis on understanding how environmental factors like ocean pH, nutrification, and temperature influence their growth and distribution. He leads projects such as Reefolution Kenya for coral reef restoration and the SponGES initiative studying North Atlantic sponge grounds. Osinga’s work combines experimental studies in facilities like Carus with field research in natural reef ecosystems to inform resource management and reef-building strategies.

Education: MSc in Marine Biology (University of Groningen) and PhD in sediment microbiology (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research). He transitioned to coral aquaculture research in 2004 and established marine sponge biotechnology studies in 1996. Current roles include teaching courses like Marine Animal Ecology and supervising MSc theses.

Facilities: Experiments at Carus involve mesocosm studies on coral metabolism, feeding biology, and long-term growth under varying environmental conditions. Collaborative projects include EU-funded initiatives like FORCE (Caribbean coral reef management) and CORALZOO (aquarium coral culture).