Laurence Macia

Professor Laurence Macia is Professor of Immunology in the School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She heads the Nutritional Immunometabolism Lab at the Charles Perkins Centre and serves as Academic Director of Sydney Cytometry, a University Core Research Facility. Macia obtained her PhD in Immunology in 2006 from the Pasteur Institute of Lille, France, focusing on the impact of obesity on immune responses. She is a Heada Beckett Fellow and a highly cited researcher recognized by Clarivate Analytics in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 for being among the top 1% of scientists by citations in their field.

Her research centers on the nutrition-gut microbiome-immunity axis, exploring how dietary components influence gut microbiota and host physiology to prevent diseases. Key studies include the role of dietary protein in increasing T-cell-independent secretory IgA production (Nature Communications, 2022), dietary carbohydrates, particularly glucose, driving B cell activation (iScience, 2021), and dietary fiber and short-chain fatty acids regulating mucosal immunity (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2023). Additional work examines gut microbiota effects of food additives like titanium dioxide, bacterial extracellular vesicles in host communication, and dietary interventions for multiple sclerosis, funded by MS Australia. Macia's lab investigates optimal methods to manipulate gut microbiota, including through balanced nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction to re-educate the immune system. With over 30 publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Immunology, Immunity, Gut, and Cell Metabolism, her contributions have advanced understanding of diet's role in chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, and metabolic health. She supervises PhD students, postdocs, and honours projects, and leads teams using advanced facilities for global leadership in nutritional immunometabolism.

Professional Email: laurence.macia@sydney.edu.au