Kelly Smith

Associate Professor Kelly Smith serves as Laboratory Head in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She earned her PhD in 2005 from the University of Melbourne, focusing her doctoral research on gastrointestinal physiology. Her research program centers on identifying genes essential for cardiac development and rhythm through forward and reverse genetics approaches in zebrafish and mouse models. The Smith laboratory leverages zebrafish for gene discovery and in vivo imaging, capitalizing on their 80% genetic similarity to humans and translucent embryos that enable direct observation of heart formation. This work elucidates molecular mechanisms and cellular contexts underlying congenital heart defects arising from embryonic mutations and cardiac arrhythmias due to disruptions in electrical tissue patterning, ion channels, or gap junctions.

Significant discoveries from her group include the role of the previously uncharacterized gene Tmem161b in cardiac rhythm, where mutations cause inherited arrhythmia, as detailed in a 2021 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication. This finding identifies a new candidate for genetic screening in patients with cardiac arrhythmias, prevalent in 2.5% of Australians. Additional contributions encompass investigations into HOPX-associated programs controlling cardiomyocyte maturation (Developmental Cell, 2024), establishment of endocardial identity during early somitogenesis (Development, 2022), and convergent evolution of scavenger cell development (Nature, 2026). Smith received the ANZSCDB Emerging Leader Award in 2022 for her groundbreaking research discoveries and leadership in the cell and developmental biology community. In 2023, she was awarded the Patricia Grimshaw Award for outstanding mentoring of university colleagues. As Academic Theme Lead in Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, she has mentored multiple PhD students to completion, resulting in high-impact publications and placements at prestigious international institutions.

Professional Email: kelly.smith1@unimelb.edu.au