Susan Joyce

Dr. Susan Joyce is a Senior Lecturer at the University College Cork (UCC), affiliated with the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology in the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science. She leads a multidisciplinary research group focused on host-microbe interactions, metabolomics, and microbial metabolism. Her work examines how dietary and microbial factors influence health outcomes, particularly in relation to metabolism, gastrointestinal health, and disease.

Dr. Joyce holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Mathematics from Maynooth University, a PhD in host-microbe interactions, and postdoctoral training at institutions including École Normale Supérieure (Paris) and Trinity College Dublin. She is a Principal Investigator (PI) in the APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre and directs the MRes Programme in Biochemistry and Biosciences. She has secured significant funding from bodies like Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and Horizon 2020.

Her research interests include the role of bile acids in gut-brain communication, microbiome modulation of host metabolism, and the development of microbial therapies. Notable projects include investigating the therapeutic potential of gut bacteria in obesity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as studying the impact of dietary interventions on bile acid profiles and cardiometabolic health.

Dr. Joyce has published over 110 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as PNAS, Nature Communications, and GUT. She has received awards for her mentorship and teaching, including the 2021 Irish Research Council Ally Award and a nomination for the UCC President's Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2022). She serves on editorial boards, including Frontiers in Nutrition, and actively participates in professional societies like the Irish Mass Spectrometry Society (Vice-Chair, 2020–2024).

Her research integrates metabolomics, cell biology, and animal models to address questions at the interface of microbiology, nutrition, and disease. Current projects include optimizing microbial enzyme inhibition for animal husbandry, dissecting the role of gut microbiota in aging, and identifying novel biomarkers of dietary ingredients in fermentation processes.