Rate My Professor Kurtis Budden

Dr. Kurtis Budden is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Newcastle in the Faculty of Health and Medicine and an early career researcher in the Immune Health Research Program at the Hunter Medical Research Institute. He completed his PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Newcastle in 2020, with his doctoral thesis investigating the therapeutic potential of microbial metabolites for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the same university. Budden's research interests center on the lung and gastrointestinal microbiomes' involvement in chronic diseases, including asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and healthy ageing. His work examines how targeted dietary interventions modify the microbiome and host immune functions, the impact of pollution and bushfire smoke on immune responses in the airways, and models to study liver disease in cystic fibrosis. He conducts both fundamental research and clinical trials to advance microbiome-immune interactions in respiratory health.

Budden has authored highly cited publications in leading journals on respiratory medicine, microbiology, and gastroenterology. Key papers include 'Emerging pathogenic links between microbiota and the gut–lung axis' (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2017), 'Functional effects of the microbiota in chronic respiratory disease' (The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2019), 'Disease-associated gut microbiome and metabolome changes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease' (Nature Communications, 2020), 'Microbiome effects on immunity, health and disease in the lung' (Clinical & Translational Immunology, 2017), and 'Roles for T/B lymphocytes and ILC2s in experimental chronic obstructive pulmonary disease' (Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 2019). He received the Ann Woolcock Young Investigator Award for his contributions. His research has influenced understanding of the gut-lung axis and microbiome roles in chronic lung conditions.