Frances Shapter

Dr. Frances Shapter is a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland's School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, based at the Gatton campus. She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Postgraduate Diploma from the University of Queensland, along with a Doctor of Philosophy in molecular genetics from Southern Cross University completed in 2008, and another Postgraduate Diploma from Southern Cross University. Prior to her academic appointments at UQ, Shapter served as senior researcher on Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage, Australian Flora Foundation, and Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) grants, investigating the genetic foundations of domestication and adaptation in Australian native grasses. She supervised two higher degree by research (HDR) students and maintains a strong publication record in plant genetics and genomics. Key publications include 'High-Throughput Sequencing and Mutagenesis to Accelerate the Domestication of Microlaena stipoides as a New Food Crop' (PLoS ONE, 2013), 'Genome diversity in wild grasses under environmental stress' (PNAS, 2011), 'Variation in Granule Bound Starch Synthase I (GBSSI) loci amongst Australian wild cereal relatives' (Journal of Cereal Science, 2009), and more recent works in veterinary education such as 'Applying iterative student feedback across flipped classroom and flexible teaching approaches' (Animals, 2024) and 'Assessment of a teaching module for cardiac auscultation of horses by veterinary students' (Animals, 2024). Shapter began tutoring at UQ School of Veterinary Science in 2011, teaching large animal production, parasitology, microbiology, animal handling, reproduction, and plant identification. Appointed Lecturer in 2019 and Senior Lecturer thereafter, she coordinates the Student Clinical Skills Hub since 2017—increasing student usage, resources, and online support tenfold—and the School's Honours Program since 2021. She managed a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning grant developing 40 integrated online adaptive tutorials and co-authored the associated manual, contributed to flexible laboratory animal science courses, and engages in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research presented annually at university showcases.

Shapter's contributions to teaching excellence have earned her the UQ Teaching Excellence Award in 2020 for the impact of the Student Clinical Skills Hub and a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the 2023 Australian Awards for University Teaching for its sustained impact supporting diverse learners. She has held committee roles including member of the federal Rural R&D Council in 2009 and the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator's Ethics and Community Consultative Committee from 2016 to 2020. Her work fosters self-directed, lifelong learning in veterinary education, blending practical clinical skills practice with innovative online resources tailored to varied student backgrounds.

Professional Email: f.shapter@uq.edu.au