Dr. Daly's research interests focus on zooplankton ecology with the aim of understanding the physical and biological factors that control the abundance and distribution of zooplankton and the role of zooplankton in marine food webs, biogeochemical cycles, and fisheries oceanography. Currently funded projects include investigations of (1) the Gulf of Mexico lower trophic food web response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, (2) the role of marine snow in the sedimentation of Deepwater Horizon oil to the sea floor, and (3) ecosystem dynamics and predator-prey interactions in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, using the SCINI remotely operated vehicle with a variety of sensors. Most recently, Dr. Daly was elected 2015 Fellow of AAAS "for distinguished contributions to the field of ocean science, particularly for advancing knowledge of Antarctic marine food webs and ecosystem dynamics in ice covered seas." Dr. Daly is the Chair of the International Science Advisory Board for Ocean Networks Canada and serves on the NSF Regional Class Research Vessel Science Oversight Committee and the U.S. Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Scientific Steering Committee.