Laura Smyth

Laura Smyth is a Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, specifically within the Centre for Public Health. Her research focuses on the molecular epidemiology of kidney disease and multi-omic risk factors for diseases with a focus on aging populations. She maintains an active research program with numerous publications, projects, and collaborations.

Dr. Smyth's research interests span Genetics, Epigenetics, Genomics, Transcriptomics, DNA Methylation, Bioinformatics, Kidney Disease, Renal Disease, Complex Diseases, Chronic Diseases, and Healthy Ageing. Her work contributes to several UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and wellbeing. She employs multi-omics approaches to understand complex disease mechanisms, particularly in diabetic kidney disease and age-related conditions.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on integrating genetic, epigenetic, and clinical data to improve disease understanding and diagnosis. The research shows particular emphasis on kidney disease in diabetic populations, epigenetic clocks as biomarkers of aging, and polygenic risk scores for age-related conditions like macular degeneration.

Scientific Awards:

• European Diabetic Nephropathy Study Group (EDNSG) Rising Star Award (2023)
• Finalist, Vice Chancellor's Research Culture Prize (2020)
• QUB Staff Excellence Award shortlist for Making a Difference (2022)
• QUB Staff Excellence Award shortlist for Team of the Year (2019)
• QUB STAR award recipient (2020)

Dr. Smyth actively supervises research projects (BMS3112 since 2015) and mentors students in professional skills courses. She leads and contributes to significant research grants including 'Innovative multi-omics approaches to improve detection, diagnosis and prognosis of medical conditions arising from metabolic syndrome' (as PI) and 'Transforming Diabetic Kidney Disease Care' (as CoI). She has secured substantial funding for her research in diabetic kidney disease and aging.

She is actively involved in the NICOLA (Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing) research program and collaborates extensively within the kidney research community, including organizing events like 'Kidney Canvas' and 'The Future of Kidney Research is STEAM Powered' public engagement event.