Rate My Professor Nicole Flemming

Dr. Nicole Flemming is a Lecturer in Biomedical Science in the School of Health at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She earned her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2021, with a thesis examining mitochondrial dysfunction as a pathological contributor to diabetic kidney disease. She also holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the University of the Sunshine Coast. Before joining UniSC, Dr. Flemming was a Lecturer in Medical Education within Griffith University’s Doctor of Medicine program, where she coordinated postgraduate courses and created learning activities focused on physiology, pathophysiology, and clinical medicine. She brings extensive expertise in course design, academic administration, learning and assessment management, and student support.

At UniSC, Dr. Flemming teaches first- and second-year courses such as LFS112 Human Physiology, HLT221 Human Pathophysiology, and LFS303 Pathophysiology, while contributing to high-quality curriculum design and delivery. Her research at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute centers on diabetes, kidney disease, cell culture and organoid models, and biomarkers of ageing and disease. A key project develops cell culture and organoid platforms to study the impact of glycaemic variability in diabetes. She recently received a UniSC LAUNCH Pilot Grant for 2025-2026 ($28,145) titled 'Patient-centred kidney models to study the impact of glycaemic variability in diabetic kidney disease: insights from tubuloids and podocytes.' Notable publications include 'Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Individuals with Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review' (Cells, 2022), 'Between-day reliability of cytokines and adipokines for application in research and practice' (Frontiers in Physiology, 2022), and 'The between-day reliability of fasted circulating irisin concentrations: a cohort study' (FACETS, 2025). Dr. Flemming supervises Honours students as principal supervisor and PhD candidates as associate supervisor. She serves as an Editorial Board Member for Frontiers in Endocrinology, peer-reviews for Frontiers in Endocrinology and Frontiers in Nephrology, and participates in working groups promoting teaching innovation, academic integrity, and professional development. Her specialist areas include kidney physiology, diabetes, mitochondrial dysfunction, and healthy aging, investigated through metabolic and biochemical assays.