Considering the debilitating and socially restricting effect digestive and gut health issues can wreak on people\u2019s quality of life, there is still a huge amount we don\u2019t understand about causation. Therefore, many disorders either go undiagnosed or at best, the results of hopeful treatments are underwhelming.<\/p>\n
One researcher is taking up the challenge to close this knowledge gap. Dr Lauren Jones\u2019 (BMedSc ’16, BSc(Hons) ’17, PhD(Med) ’22) innovative, award-winning research is advancing global understanding of the gut\u2013brain axis (the bi-directional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain) and its critical role in human health.<\/p>\n
Dr Jones initially studied her undergraduate Medical Science degree at Flinders with full intentions to eventually step up to postgraduate Medicine but ended up pursuing an honours degree in Neuroscience instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI distinctly remember my first research project \u2013 the PhD student in the lab at the time, Dr Kevin Smith, pointed out that the work we were doing was the first of its kind worldwide. We were quite literally creating new knowledge,\u201d says Dr Jones.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell in love with research during my honours. After much deliberation, I decided that staying in research and doing a PhD was the best path for me, because of both the passion I had developed for medical research, and the extraordinary community and calibre of research being done in the Flinders Neuroscience Department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Jones\u2019 work has opened new avenues for exploring how disruptions in gut signalling contribute to anxiety and other neurological conditions. Through novel experimental models and advanced imaging techniques, she is helping to create the first functional maps linking gut derived serotonin with brain activity.<\/p>\n
Although it may sound like a niche Dr Jones had carved out from a very young age to explore, her path into the gut-brain field was actually somewhat serendipitous.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the opportunity to choose a Flinders lab in which to undertake my PhD, and after several meetings with various labs, decided that Professor Damien Keating\u2019s lab, focused on all things gut-related, was going to be the best fit for me,\u201d Dr Jones explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I started my project and began to discover the many wonders of the gut, such as the fact that specialised cells along the gut wall actually produce 90 per cent of the body\u2019s serotonin, and that the intestines can continue to function outside of the body due to the fact they have their own nervous system, I became completely obsessed with the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
This fascination has stayed with Dr Jones ever since, ultimately leading to her current role \u2013 a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University College London studying how the gut communicates with the brain and influences behaviour.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy work is hugely variable \u2013 on any given day I could be running experiments, performing surgery, teaching and supervising students, reading the latest research published in the field, meeting my colleagues for thought-provoking conversations, writing up and preparing my own research publications or preparing presentations for international conferences to share my research with the world,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Her discoveries suggest the gut may play an initiating role in conditions such as anxiety, mood disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, with potential to transform treatment approaches towards more precise therapies that improve patient outcomes. Currently, her focus has shifted specifically to obesity and uncovering evidence-based solutions to fight this complex chronic disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut simply, I hope that my current research is able to positively affect people\u2019s lives,\u201d Dr Jones says.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people don\u2019t view obesity as a disease or understand that it\u2019s not as simple of a problem to tackle as many people often make it out to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a hundred different reasons why we eat or don\u2019t eat at any given moment, and hundreds of different things that can go wrong in the complex pathways that govern our feeding behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even as a young researcher, Dr Jones\u2019 achievements have been recognised through numerous honours, including the 2023 7NEWS South Australia Young Achiever STEM Award and her selection as a finalist in the 2024 South Australian Science Awards for PhD Research Excellence.<\/p>\n
In addition to her research achievements, Dr Jones has shown strong commitment to community and sector development. As an HDR student representative, she advocated for improved support and opportunities for research students, while her participation in STEM outreach programs has helped inspire future generations, particularly young women, to pursue careers in science. But what would she say to a fresh-faced Lauren, walking into Flinders to begin an undergraduate degree 10 years ago?<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust your gut!\u201d Dr Jones says, we can only assume with tongue firmly planted in cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all going to work out, and following your passion is definitely the way to go for you.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings won\u2019t always work out how you imagined, and there will be plenty of challenges, both personally and professionally, but some of the unexpected turns will lead to the most exciting opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dr Lauren Jones was awarded a 2026 Early Career Alumni Award for significant contributions to biomedical science, advancing innovative research on the gut\u2013brain axis and fostering STEM engagement to inspire future generations of scientists.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Considering the debilitating and socially restricting effect digestive and gut health issues can wreak on people\u2019s quality of life, there is still a huge amount we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4958,"featured_media":2251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5841,828,3006,2081],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-alumni-awards","category-college-of-medicine-and-public-health","category-higherdegreeresearch","category-study-medicine"],"yoast_head":"\n