David Farmer

David Farmer is a Research Fellow at the Department of Neuroscience, Monash University. He conducted post-doctoral training at Monash University, the University of Melbourne, and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. His research focuses on the autonomic nervous system, including sympathetic nervous hierarchy, cardiac vagal tone, autonomic modulation of innate immune function, and neurobiology of coughing. Key areas include vagal neurobiology, inflammatory reflex pathways, and neuroimmune interactions.

His work has advanced understanding of cardiac vagal tone generation in the brainstem, the functional significance of sympathetic premotor neurons, and the role of vagus nerve stimulation in modulating inflammation. Notable contributions include demonstrating sympathetic nerves' role in bacterial clearance and pioneering optogenetic studies of vagal efferent fibers in large mammals.

Recent studies explore human vagus nerve physiology, including microelectrode recordings during clinical stimulation and identifying risks of bradycardia/asystole. His research spans animal models (rats, guinea pigs) to translational clinical applications, emphasizing neurotechnology and neuroimmune mechanisms.