Rate My Professor Mike Jones

Professor Mike Jones is a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences within Macquarie University’s Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, where he serves as Deputy Dean (Research & Innovation) since September 2024. A trained biostatistician, he has nearly 40 years of experience in epidemiology and public health across universities, research institutions, and industry. This includes almost 20 years in universities, 10 years in research institutions such as eight years at Royal North Shore Hospital in clinical research, and consulting roles. He holds a conjoint professorship at the University of Newcastle’s School of Medicine and Public Health, is affiliated with the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University’s Psychology Department, and has held honorary appointments at the Mayo Clinic on two occasions. Previous leadership positions at Macquarie include Head of the Psychology Department from November 2007 to March 2010, Associate Dean (International) from March 2013 to September 2015, Associate Dean (Research) from September 2015 to May 2018, Deputy Head of Department (Research) from March 2020 to October 2021, and Associate Dean (Research Partnerships & Integration) from November 2021 to August 2024, all within the Faculty of Human Sciences or Medicine, Health and Human Sciences.

Jones specializes in understanding the mechanisms linking psychological traits and processes to disorders of gut-brain interaction, including irritable bowel syndrome, with research spanning over 35 years. His work has expanded to functional somatic syndromes and includes studies on causal psychological pathways in these disorders and the effects of cognitive behaviour therapy on gastrointestinal symptoms. He is a Chief Investigator in the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Transforming Gut Health awarded in 2024, following a prior CRE from 2020 to 2024, underscoring his international collaborative network. Professionally accredited as a statistician by the Statistical Society of Australia and the Royal Statistical Society (UK), he serves as Associate Editor for Neurogastroenterology & Motility, was co-editor of a special series on statistics and epidemiology for the Medical Journal of Australia, and is a founding editorial board member for Frontiers in Pharmacology and United European Gastroenterology Journal. He also sits on the advisory board of General Practice Australia Plus. Key publications include “Predictors and moderators of cognitive behavioural therapy outcomes in older adults with anxiety and mood disorders” (2026, Cognitive Therapy and Research), “Colonic diverticulosis and uncomplicated diverticulitis are associated with a lower not higher risk of mortality when confounding factors are held constant” (2025, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology), “Characterization of anal slow waves and ultraslow waves in patients with constipation and healthy subjects” (2025, Neurogastroenterology and Motility), and “Mood and Anxiety Disorders Precede Development of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Cases of First-Onset Cardiomyopathy” (2017, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology).