Frank Nicholas

Frank Nicholas is Emeritus Professor of Animal Genetics in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney. Born in October 1947 in Parkes, New South Wales, he completed a Certificate in Agriculture at Yanco Agricultural College in 1965, worked on his family wheat and sheep farm, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with Honours from the University of Sydney in 1971, followed by a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 1974 under the supervision of Allan Robertson. Upon completing his doctorate, he joined the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, where he spent over 30 years as a lecturer and researcher until his retirement around 2007-2012. Throughout his career, he taught animal genetics to undergraduate and postgraduate students in animal and veterinary science and conducted research on quantitative genetics, population genetics, comparative genomics, molecular genetics in animal breeding, and the genetic basis of disorders and disease resistance across diverse species, including wallabies, dogs, livestock, honey bees, carp, and crocodiles. He continues to contribute post-retirement, focusing on sheep genomics and the genetics of hip dysplasia in dogs.

Nicholas created and curates the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) database, originating as a mainframe database in 1980 and now a key online resource accessed worldwide around 2500 times per week, cataloging inherited disorders and single-locus traits in domestic animals for research discovery and comparative genetics. His major publications include Veterinary Genetics (1987), Introduction to Veterinary Genetics (1996, with a second edition in 2003, translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese), and co-authorship of the sheep genome sequence paper in Science. He has published extensively, collaborating with leading animal geneticists, and his work has amassed thousands of citations. Nicholas has held significant service roles, including past President of the Australian Society of Animal Production, membership on editorial boards of Animal Genetics, Animal Science, and The Veterinary Journal, and advisory positions such as the Science Advisory Panel of the International Livestock Research Institute and Meat and Livestock Australia's National Beef Genetics Advisory Committee. His contributions earned him the Helen Newton Turner Medal in 2003 for distinguished work in animal genetics and Fellowship of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics.

Professional Email: frank.nicholas@sydney.edu.au