The world's population is expected to grow from today's 7.4 billion to about 9.1 billion by 2040. Feeding these people and eliminating hunger will require advancement

in feed and food production systems. Aquaculture is one of the best measures that provides a high-quality, inexpensive, and healthy source of animal protein.

Aquaculture holds great promise for alleviating food scarcity and poverty. With an aim to produce healthy seafood by using alternative feed ingredients and different aquaculture technology, Dr. Vikas Kumar is working on a series of projects primarily focusing on developing nutritionally balanced, environmentally sound, and cost-effective diet for commercial fish and shellfish culture.

Dr. Kumar, who is an assistant professor in the College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable

Systems Division of Aquaculture, has more than 10 years of research experience in fish nutrition as well as fish physiology and biochemistry. He has developed a number of international collaborative projects and completed research work with Germany, Belgium, Norway, India, Brazil, Mexico, China, and Malaysia.

Most recently, Dr. Kumar has worked on several projects including research to boost aquaculture sustainability and profitability by enhancing soybean meal utilization in aquafeeds by assessing the nutritive value and optimization of soybean meal-based diets for hybrid catfish and largemouth bass. Other research includes optimizing the use of algal meal (Schizochytrium sp.) as a fish oil replacer in the practical diets of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

Internationally, Dr. Kumar is working on a collaborative project with Nofima, a Norwegian food research institute located in Sunndalsora, Norway that operates industry-oriented research and development in aquaculture, fisheries, and food. Dr. Kumar and Nofima are evaluating Enzomeal for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) feed.

Dr. Kumar's other research interests include fish and shellfish nutrition, alternative protein sources and development of novel protein ingredients for aquafeed, feed processing and manufacturing technology for aquatic and farm animal feed, biological and chemical effects of feed and ingredient processing, and improvement, standardization, and documentation of methods in fish nutrition.

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