Senior Lecturer in Aquatic Animal Health
Qualifications
2010 – DVM (Universidad Mayor, Chile; University Medal)
2014 – MSc (Aquaculture) with Distinction (The University of Melbourne)
2018 – PhD (The University of Melbourne)
Career History
2010 – 2012 – Centrovet / Virbac (Chile), Veterinary Research Scientist
2014 – 2018 – The University of Melbourne – Research Assistant
2018 – 2021 – CSIRO – Postdoctoral Fellow in Aquatic Viral Immunology
2021 – 2026 – The University of Sydney, Senior Lecturer
Professional Distinctions
Certified Aquatic Veterinarian (CertAqV), World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association (WAVMA)
Governance and Leadership
2025 – Appointed WAVMA Board Director for Oceania
2023 – Appointed member of Australia’s Aquatic Animal Health and Biosecurity Coordination Program Committee
Overview
Francisca is an aquatic veterinarian and researcher specialising in disease transmission, novel diagnostics, and multi-omic approaches to aquatic animal health and immunology. Her work integrates computational biology and bioinformatics with molecular microbiology to understand the mechanisms driving disease emergence and persistence in aquatic systems.
Francisca joined the Sydney School of Veterinary Science in 2021 as Senior Lecturer in Aquatic Animal Health. She received her BVSc and DVM from Universidad Mayor (Santiago, Chile) in 2010 and worked in R&D on vaccines for the salmon industry at Virbac-Centrovet before moving to Australia in 2013. She completed her PhD in Aquaculture at the University of Melbourne in 2018, where she used computational biology and network theory to study transmission dynamics of the salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), the biggest parasitic problem of the salmon aquaculture industry. She then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at CSIRO, investigating the pilchard orthomyxovirus (POMV) affecting the Tasmanian salmon industry, focusing on host–pathogen interactions and immune responses to support early detection and control.
At the University of Sydney, Francisca leads an innovative research program addressing bacterial and viral diseases in key aquaculture species, including oysters, salmon and barramundi. Her research spans:
• Host–pathogen interactions using multi-omics and in vivo infection models
• Next generation molecular diagnostics for surveillance and outbreak response
• Microbiome and environmental interactions shaping opportunistic infections
• Vaccine development for oysters
Francisca a member of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID) https://www.sydney.edu.au/infectious-diseases, Sydney South-East Asia Centre https://sydney.edu.au/sydney-southeast-asia-centre/ and Sydney Marine Studies Institute https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-centres/marine-studies-institute.html.
Oyster Health Sydney 