Gareth McKay

Gareth McKay is a Reader at Queen's University Belfast's School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, affiliated with the Centre for Public Health. He leads projects using multiomic approaches to study diabetic kidney disease and renal transplant outcomes, integrating genomic, epigenetic, and metabolomic data. He chairs the Data Access Committee for the Northern Ireland Cohort for Longitudinal Ageing (NICOLA) and advises organizations like the Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund. His research also involves collaborations with institutions in Thailand, Europe, and the Americas.

Dr. McKay's teaching spans clinical genetics and bioinformatics modules, having supervised 9 PhD and 5 Master's students. He has held external examiner roles at universities worldwide. His administrative roles include managing the University’s Human Tissue Act license and serving on EU Horizon research panels.

His research focuses on biomarkers for microvascular decline in chronic diseases, leveraging UK Biobank and international cohorts. Key interests include nutrigenomics, carotenoid impacts, and socioeconomic factors influencing health outcomes.

Notable awards include Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and multiple research grants from the MRC, EU Horizon programs, and Diabetes UK. His 271+ publications span biomarker discovery, AI in healthcare, and systematic reviews on drug efficacy.