Jonathan Swann

Dr. Jonathan Swann is a Professor of Biomolecular Medicine at the University of Southampton's Faculty of Medicine, School of Human Development and Health. He leads a metabolomics-focused research program investigating gene-environment interactions in health and disease. His work spans two main themes: (1) Gut microbiota's role in host health/disease, including gut-brain axis communication, microbiome-cancer interactions, and microbial metabolism; (2) Early-life environmental influences on development, particularly in global health contexts. He supervises multiple PhD students and collaborates with institutions like Imperial College London and Karolinska Institute.

• Research affiliations: Institute for Life Sciences, Nutrition, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and 8 other interdisciplinary groups
• Funding: BBSRC, MRC, Wellcome Trust, NIH, Gates Foundation

Recent studies explore microbiota's impact on neurological disorders, malnutrition consequences in children, and metabolic biomarkers in pancreatic cancer. His 2024 Nature Communications paper revealed circadian bile acid rhythms in humans, while 2025 cancer biomarker work advances early detection methods.

External roles include editorial board positions for Microbiome and Frontiers in Endocrinology, plus expert advisory roles with the British Society of Gastroenterology.