Rate My Professor David Francis

Professor David Francis is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Aquaculture Nutrition in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin University. He earned a BSc (Hons) in Fisheries Management and Aquaculture and a PhD in Aquaculture Nutrition. Francis began his academic career at Deakin University as a Lecturer in 2006. He served as a Researcher at the Australian Institute of Marine Science from 2011 to 2015 before returning to Deakin as Associate Professor. Currently, he is Head of the Nutrition and Seafood Laboratory (NuSea.Lab), Associate Head of School Regional (Warrnambool and Queenscliff), and leads research at the Deakin Centre for Marine Science. His work focuses on advancing sustainable aquaculture practices through innovative nutrition science.

Francis's research specializations include aquaculture nutrition, sustainable aquafeed development, lipid and protein metabolism in fish, nutritional biomarkers, and full-cycle aquaculture for species such as Atlantic salmon, abalone, barramundi, and corals. He investigates novel ingredients like seaweeds, agricultural by-products, and methanotrophic single-cell proteins to minimize environmental impact, enhance growth performance, and improve seafood quality and traceability. With 158 publications and over 4,800 citations, key works include 'Fatty acid metabolism (desaturation, elongation and β-oxidation) in rainbow trout fed fish oil- or linseed oil-based diets' (2009, British Journal of Nutrition), 'Genes for de novo biosynthesis of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are widespread in animals' (2018, Science Advances), 'Fish oil replacement with different vegetable oils in Murray cod' (2011, Aquaculture), and 'Towards achieving circularity and sustainability in feeds for farmed blue foods' (2023, Reviews in Aquaculture). He has received the 2012 Australian Academy of Science Travel Fellowship and the 2012 Australasian Aquaculture Award, and secured grants such as ARC Discovery funding. Francis supervises PhD students and contributes to teaching in aquaculture nutrition.