Associate ProfessorLuis Afonso

Associate Professor Luis Afonso is currently the Deputy Director of the
Bachelor of Science at Deakin University. Recently, between February 2022 and
May 2023, Luis had been the Faculty of SEBE HDR Coordinator, and between
2016-2019 the Director, International Research Training (Deakin Research).
Luis has been the cluster leader for the 2-digit Division 30 Agricultural,
Veterinary and Food Sciences - ERA 2023 (2022-2023). Since 2018, he has been a
member of the University's Autonomous Sanctions Risk Assessment Panel. Since
2012, Luis leads the fish stress physiology research program at Deakin
University. Previously, Luis had been HDR Coordinator (Warrnambool Campus
2014-2016) and the Director of the Bachelor of Fisheries and Aquaculture
(2013-2014). Prior to his work at Deakin, Luis held a research chair position
in Aquaculture and Environment at the British Columbia Centre for Aquatic
Health Sciences, Canada (2009-2012).
Associate Professor Luis Afonso has made significant contributions to both
fundamental and applied research in fish physiology and aquaculture. His
research program addresses areas such fish stress, health, and welfare,
smoltification and reproductive physiology. He has been using an integrative
approach (immunology, endocrinology, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics)
to investigate the areas above, including important fish health and welfare
issues caused by long-term stress. This has resulted in further collaborative
work and being recognized and accepted by peers in other related areas such
applied nanobiotechnology and ecotoxicology. In Canada and Australia, Luis has
led several projects in collaboration with the Aquaculture Industry, as he
believes that an interdisciplinary team-based approach (academics and industry
partners) is vital for understanding, maintaining, and advancing our knowledge
in life sciences.
In teaching and learning, Associate Professor Luis Afonso is recognized for
the development of creative practical assessments, and for improving students'
learning experiences and networking by embedding work integrated learning
(bringing the Aquaculture Industry to the classroom). Luis has been teaching
in areas such as comparative animal physiology, fish physiology, reproduction
and health, and career education and work-integrated learning units.

Research Groups
Internal collaboration: Dr.David Cahill's: nanomaterial and nanoscience
Internal collaboration: Dr. Aaron Schultz: Aquatic organisms physiology and
ecotoxicology
Internal collaboration: Dr. Andrew Oxley: aquatic organisms microbiome
External collaboration: Dr. Pushplata Singh, TERI-Deakin, India
External collaboration: Dr. Toshiki Nakano, University of Tohoku, Japan
External collaboration: Dr. Stephen McCormick - Conte Anadromous Fish Research
Laboratory, USA
External collaboration: Dr. Christine Hyunh - Petuna Ltd., and Nautilus
Collaboration, Australia
External collaboration: Dr. Bradley Evans - Tassal Group, Australia
External collaboration: Dr. Morgan Brown - CSIRO, Australia