Cüneyt Kaya is a fish taxonomist at the Faculty of Fisheries at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University in Rize, Türkiye.
Freshwater fishes have always been his main academic and personal interest, and he has always been motivated to pursue
a career working with them. His main interests are the conservation, diversity, and distribution of freshwater fishes. His
research also focuses on the effects of ecological change, including invasive species and habitat change, on aquatic fauna.
During his career, he has published more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and described 50 new species of freshwater
fishes.