Prestigious appointment for croc expert

Professor Craig Franklin has been appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Experimental Biology, a leading publication in the field of comparative animal physiology.

Professor Franklin, of The University of Queensland’s School of Biological Sciences, is perhaps most widely known for his work with crocodiles in northern Australia.

“Franklin is ideally positioned to strengthen the journal’s position in physiological ecology,” said the journal’s editor, Professor Hans Hoppeler.

Professor Franklin is the first editor the journal has appointed outside of Europe or North America.

“We are delighted to reinforce our presence in the Southern Hemisphere with an editor based in Australia who is so passionate about his science,” Professor Hoppeler said.

Professor Franklin has been a long-term author and referee for the journal.

“I’m humbled excited by the opportunity to give back to my science and my profession. I view JEB as the premier journal in my field,” Professor Franklin said.

Since 1995, Professor Franklin has worked in basic physiology, but in recent years has begun studying the emerging field of ecology and conservation physiology.

“Physiologists are starting to make a very important contribution to the field of biology, and increasingly we will have an impact at the conservation-based level,” Professor Franklin said.

At UQ, Professor Franklin’s lab investigates the physiological and behavioural responses of fish, frogs, and reptiles to changing environmental conditions, including those generated by humans.

Recently, Professor Franklin has been working in the Wenlock River area of north-eastern Queensland, on several projects in collaboration with the Australia Zoo and supported by the Queensland Government’s Wild Rivers legislation.

In the numerous trips to the region, Professor Franklin and his team have attached satellite trackers to crocodiles, to monitor migration, and have begun investigating natural eco-systems in the largely unchartered scientific area.

“His expertise is extremely broad, and encompasses many approaches in an eco-physiological context,” Professor Hoppeler said.

Media: Professor Craig Franklin, +61 7 3365 2355, c.franklin@uq.edu.au, or Allison Rock, UQ Communications +61 7 3365 2619, a.rock1@uq.edu.au