Rate My Professor Doug Smith

Associate Professor Doug Smith is a neurobiologist in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of Queensland. Following his PhD, Smith served as a Research Scientist in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine from 1997 to 2004. He joined the University of Newcastle in 2005, initially as an academic in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, progressing to Senior Lecturer and then to his current position as Associate Professor. His research investigates the impacts of ageing on the central and peripheral nervous systems, with a focus on extending healthspan through interventions that preserve nervous system function. Employing animal models, Smith's lab utilizes advanced techniques such as next-generation sequencing, laser-capture microdissection for isolating specific cell types like dopamine neurons, spinal cord motor neurons, and vestibular hair cells, immunocytochemistry, and real-time PCR. Key areas include age-related changes in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, blood-brain barrier integrity, lipidomics in the central nervous system, and neuroinflammation associated with endogenous viral sequences. Discoveries demonstrate that intermittent fasting attenuates ageing-related brain inflammation and that ageing dysregulates cholesterol homeostasis in the brain, contributing to early dementia mechanisms.