Jacinta Kalisch-Smith

Jacinta Kalisch-Smith is an Oxford BHF CRE Basic Science Intermediate Transition Fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) within the Medical Sciences Division. She leads independent research focused on understanding how the placental vascular network is created in mice and humans, and how their gene programs are governed.

Dr. Kalisch-Smith obtained her PhD in Brisbane, Australia, where she investigated the impacts of periconceptional alcohol exposure on the early embryo, uterine environment and placental formation. Her work has been recognized with the Australian and New Zealand Placental Research Association (ANZPRA) New Investigator award in 2016.

Her research spans placental vascular development, genetic regulation of embryonic cardiovascular formation, and the impact of environmental exposures on fetal development. She utilizes advanced techniques including light sheet imaging and genetic tools to characterize placental vascular development and determine how gene deletions impact congenital heart defects, miscarriage and stillbirth. Her current mentors are Prof Shankar Srinivas, Prof Sarah De Val, and Prof Nicola Smart.

Through analysis of her publications from 2019-2025, Dr. Kalisch-Smith's work demonstrates a consistent focus on the intersection of placental development and cardiovascular formation, with particular emphasis on how environmental factors like alcohol exposure and iron deficiency impact embryonic development. Her research combines molecular genetics, advanced imaging, and animal models to address fundamental questions in developmental biology with clinical relevance to pregnancy complications.

• Australian and New Zealand Placental Research Association (ANZPRA) New Investigator award (2016)

As part of her BHF CRE Transition Fellowship, Dr. Kalisch-Smith is conducting independent research with mentorship from leading experts in the field. Her previous work in Professor Nicola Smart's group investigated epicardial factors in coronary vessel formation, while her research in Associate Professor Duncan Sparrow's group examined how maternal iron deficiency alters heart development, resulting in a publication in Nature Communications. She continues to investigate the placental-heart axis and its implications for congenital conditions.

Dr. Kalisch-Smith works within the Smart Group at Oxford, collaborating with researchers investigating cardiovascular development. Her current project involves generating new genetic tools and using light sheet imaging to characterize placental vascular development, with the goal of understanding how placental vascular genes impact congenital heart defects, miscarriage and stillbirth.