Francisca Giménez-Casalduero has over 37 years of experience in marine and coastal research, conservation and management. Her work encompasses marine ecology, biodiversity, the assessment of anthropogenic pressures, Marine Protected Area planning and management, and the development of conservation and ecological restoration strategies.

She graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Murcia in 1989 and obtained her PhD in 1997. She undertook research stays in Southampton (United Kingdom), Naples and Sicily (Italy), and Guam (United States).

She began her career in environmental education and helped establish a consultancy specialising in the marine environment. She subsequently worked for four years as a technical adviser at the Directorate-General for the Natural Environment of the Region of Murcia, contributing to marine planning and management.

Since 1999, she has taught and conducted research at the University of Alicante. She was appointed to a permanent doctoral-level academic post in 2004, promoted to Associate Professor in 2010, and appointed Full Professor in 2020. She served as Vice-Dean for Marine Sciences from 2010 to 2013. She became Director of the Marine Research Centre (CIMAR) provisionally in 2012 and resumed the position permanently in 2020, promoting research, training, scientific outreach and knowledge transfer.

Her work includes the conservation of protected and threatened marine species, particularly the Mediterranean pen shell (Pinna nobilis), classified as Critically Endangered, and elasmobranchs (sharks and rays). Her expertise also covers marine invertebrate taxonomy and autecology, benthic communities, and the impacts of invasive alien species on native biodiversity, marine management and ecological restoration.

She has contributed to scientific committees and working groups on marine conservation and management. Her work in the Mar Menor lagoon focuses on biological communities, environmental pressures and ecological recovery. She has served on the Mar Menor Commission and its Scientific Committee and is currently Vice-President of the Scientific Committee of the Mar Menor Guardianship.

Her research interests include seascape ecology, ecological indicators, human pressures on marine ecosystems, threatened species conservation, marine exotic species, and the restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems.