Dr Cedric Simon

Group Leader & Principal Research Scientist

https://people.csiro.au/S/C/Cedric-Simon

BIOSCIENCE PREC 306 CARMODY RD
ST. LUCIA QLD 4067 AUSTRALIA

Biography

Cedric Simon is the Aquaculture Nutrition & Production Systems Group Leader for the Livestock & Aquaculture Program, Ag&F BU. The group consists of 30 staff developing commercially successful sustainable feed formulations, culture systems and value-added products to improve the diversity, sustainability, and efficiency of the Aquaculture industry. The staff are located at the Bribie Island Research Centre, the Queensland Bioscience Precinct in St Lucia, and the CSIRO Hobart site in Battery Pt, and include nutritionists, feed technologist, physiologist, analytical chemists, molecular biologists, aquarists, fish and shellfish biologists working on various projects nationally and internationally. Staff are actively engaged across various science domains including aquatic animal welfare, maturation, larval rearing, water quality management, sustainability, microbial fermentation, low footprint farming models, omic approaches and cell-based assays for animal and human nutrition.

Cedric is a Principal Research Scientist and leads strategic research outcomes of importance to science, the economy, and the environment aligned with Ag&F RU strategy. He has influenced the direction of research and investment in innovation domestically and internationally, contributing to sustainable growth (supply and diversity) of domestic aquaculture production and that in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. He has advanced the technology readiness level of sustainable ingredients for feeds to commercialisation and developed feeding strategies and culture systems for major and emerging commercial species in Australia and overseas, including Atlantic salmon, barramundi, kingfish, pompano, jade perch, black tiger prawns, spiny lobsters, abalone, whiteleg shrimp and tilapia.

His research expertise and interest include the development of sustainable aquafeeds tailored to new candidate species, addressing knowledge and research methodology gaps particularly in invertebrate species, the development of novel rapid prediction methods to assess feed/ingredient nutritional value, developing functional additives such as NovaqPro(R) to improve culture performance, advancing circular bioeconomy approaches in aquaculture and the development of low footprint and high welfare culture approaches.

He has been leading the Ridley-CSIRO Alliance project to develop NovaqPro, CSIRO’s engagement with GrainCorp to develop new canola protein products for aquafeed, and an Aquaculture Pilot project in the South Pacific to advance circular economy and food system resilience.

He is an editorial Board Member for Reviews in Aquaculture, Critical Insights in Aquaculture and Animal.

Cedric chairs the local organising committee of the International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding (ISFNF) CSIRO hosting this world-class international Aquaculture Nutrition conference in Darwin (May 2026) for over 400 delegates.

Achievements and Awards

2016-2017

Top 10 selected Aquacelerator Fellows - CSIRO/WORLDFISH
Blue Economy Challenge & Aquacelerator, DFAT InnovationXchange
2012-2013

Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
2007-2009

The Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis
University of Auckland

Professional Areas

Fields of Research

Current

Current Roles

Project lead
Fonds Pacifique project on blue shrimp farming and South pacific Aquaculture
Project lead
Graincorp high protein canola for aquafeed
Project Leader
Ridley Alliance on Novacq and bioactives
Project component leader
Development of plant protein products for aquafeed - Graincorp CRC-P
Project Leader
Fee-for-service aquafeed manufacturing and analysis
Project member
Ridley CRC-P on nutritional solutions to combat salmon thermal stress
Project member
CAS-CSIRO canola circular economy project
Future Protein Mission support
Aquaculture related initiatives

Academic Qualifications

2010

PhD in Marine Science
University of Auckland
2005

Bsc in Aquaculture
James Cook University

Professional Experiences

2020-ongoing

Group Leader (Nutrition and Production Systems) & Principal Research Scientist
CSIRO
2018-2020

Group Leader (Nutrition) & Senior Research Scientist
CSIRO
2015-2018

Team Leader & Senior Research Scientist
CSIRO
2013-2015

Research Fellow Crustacean Nutrition
University of Tasmania
2010-2013

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Tasmania
2009-2010

Senior Technical Officer
University of Tasmania

Grants

2024-2025

Fonds Pacifique
2017-2018

DFAT Blue Economy Challenge
2015-2022

Various industry clients
2014-2015

Seafood CRC
2012-2013

Science and Innovation Award