Heidi Staudacher

Assoc Professor

Accepting PhD Students

20012025

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Heidi is an advanced accredited practising dietitian and mid-career researcher. She and her team are advancing knowledge of diet-induced microbiome shifts and other mechanisms through which diet influences the brain and the gut. Her research is strengthening contemporary management of (i) common mental disorders, such as depression, and (ii) disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Her research has had international impact, including the discoveries that the low FODMAP diet shifts the gut microbiome in irritable bowel syndrome and that probiotic co-administration can mitigate these effects. Heidi has held prestigious research fellowships, including a NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship, and her current National Health and Medical Research Council fellowship. She was a highly commended finalist for the Griffith University Research Australia Discovery Award in 2021. She serves on the Rome V DGBI Treatment Trials committee (2021-current), Dietitians Australia Gastroenterology Leadership team (2021-current) and Gastroenterological Society of Australia Luminal Committee (2023-current).

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Education/Academic qualification

PhD

Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics

B App Sci (Humn Movt, Hons)

External positions

Senior Research Fellow, Food & Mood Centre, IMPACT Institute, Deakin University

Adjunct lecturer, University of Queensland

Research area keywords

  • diet intervention
  • clinical trials
  • microbiome
  • carbohydrate
  • fibre
  • gut disorders
  • irritable bowel syndrome
  • mental health
  • depression

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or