Dr Ronan Smith
Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Medicine
College of Health
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am a physicist working as a postdoctoral researcher within the Cystic Fibrosis Airway Research Group (CFARG)/ Respiratory X-ray Imaging Laboratory (REXIL). The majority of my work is focused on X-ray Velocimetry (XV), a novel technique for measuring lung function using X-ray imaging. This project is in collaboration with 4DMedical, who commercialised the technique. My work focusses on understanding the spatial and temporal changes seen in XV imaging in our preclinical and clinical trials. Cystic Fibrosis is the main disease we look at, but we are also investigating uses in emphysema, MPS I and lung cancer.My PhD was in developing methods for dark-field X-ray Imaging, a technique which allows us to see 'texture' in samples through the scattering of X-rays. I am working to apply these methods in respiratory research, as well as other areas such as materials science. I am interested in all methods of imaging, particularly dynamic X-ray imaging and CT, and have a range of projects available to students from undergraduate to PhD. Please get in touch if you are interested in collaborating or looking for a student project.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Post Doctoral Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2021 - 2022 | Beamline Scientist/Consultancy Support | University of Southampton |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 - 2023 | University of Southampton | United Kingdom | PhD |
| 2014 - 2018 | Durham University | United Kingdom | MPhys |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | How, Y. Y., Reyne, N., Croughan, M. K., Cmielewski, P., Batey, D., Costello, L. F., . . . Morgan, K. S. (2026). In vivo 4D x-ray dark-field lung imaging in mice. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 45(1), 269-280. |
| 2025 | Houx, J. L., Fletcher, D. M., Leonardi, A., Williams, K. A., Walker, N., Alvarez-Borges, F., . . . Ruiz, S. (2025). Coupled X-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth.. npj Biological Physics and Mechanics, 2(1), 17-1-17-8. |
| 2025 | Smith, R., Thomas, C., Nguyen, P., Badiei, A., Eikelis, N., Nilsen, K., . . . Donnelley, M. (2025). Visualising ventilation changes following endobronchial valve placement with x-ray velocimetry functional lung imaging. Physics in Medicine & Biology, 70(13), 8 pages. Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC2 |
| 2025 | Johnston, J., Donnelley, M., Smith, R., Louise, J., Grunert, J., La Vanda, C., & Tai, A. (2025). Real-world outcomes after initiation of Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor in an adolescent cohort with cystic fibrosis. Respiratory Medicine, 249, 6 pages. |
| 2025 | Smith, R., Reyne, N., Batey, D., Eikelis, N., Asselin Labat, M. -L., & Donnelley, M. (2025). Mapping lung cancer ventilation dynamics: A pilot mouse study using functional imaging and lung mechanics.. Dis Model Mech, 18(12), dmm052559. |
| 2025 | D'Amico, L., Costello, L., Nesterets, Y., Donnelley, M., Gureyev, T., Maksimenko, A., . . . Morgan, K. (2025). In situ propagation-based lung computed tomography for large animal models. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 32(6), 1511-1522. Europe PMC1 |
| 2025 | Reyne, N., Smith, R., Cmielewski, P., Eikelis, N., Nilsen, K., Louise, J., . . . Donnelley, M. (2025). Functional Lung Imaging Identifies Peripheral Ventilation Changes in ꞵ-ENaC Mice. Respirology, 30(4), 335-345. Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC5 |
| 2024 | Reyne, N., Smith, R., Cmielewski, P., Eikelis, N., Lawrence, M., Louise, J., . . . Donnelley, M. (2024). Assessment of respiratory mechanics and X-ray velocimetry functional imaging in two cystic fibrosis rat models.. Scientific reports, 14(1), 21646. Scopus7 WoS6 Europe PMC9 |
| 2024 | Reyne, N., Cmielewski, P., McCarron, A., Smith, R., Schneider-Futschik, E., Eikelis, N., . . . Donnelley, M. (2024). Corrigendum: Effect of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor on nasal potential difference and lung function in Phe508del rats(Front. Pharmacol., (2024), 15, (1362325), 10.3389/fphar.2024.1362325). Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, 1428213. Scopus2 |
| 2024 | Reyne, N., Cmielewski, P., McCarron, A., Smith, R., Eikelis, N., Pirakalathanan, P., . . . Donnelley, M. (2024). Effect of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor on nasal potential difference and lung function in Phe508del rats. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, 1-7. Scopus6 WoS8 Europe PMC9 |
| 2024 | Smith, R., Morgan, K. S., McCarron, A., Cmielewski, P., Reyne, N., Parsons, D., & Donnelley, M. (2024). Ultra-fastin-vivodirectional dark-field x-ray imaging for visualising magnetic control of particles for airway gene delivery. Phys Med Biol, 69(10), 105025-1-105025-11. Scopus2 WoS1 Europe PMC2 |
| 2023 | De Marco, F., Savatović, S., Smith, R., Di Trapani, V., Margini, M., Lautizi, G., & Thibault, P. (2023). High-speed processing of X-ray wavefront marking data with the Unified Modulated Pattern Analysis (UMPA) model.. Optics express, 31(1), 635-650. Scopus23 WoS16 Europe PMC7 |
| 2023 | Galvez-Hernandez, P., Smith, R., Gaska, K., Mavrogordato, M., Sinclair, I., & Kratz, J. (2023). The effect of X-ray computed tomography scan parameters on porosity assessment of carbon fibre reinfored plastics laminates. Journal of Composite Materials, 57(29), 4535-4548. Scopus9 WoS9 |
| 2023 | Jimenez-Martin, C., Maes, V., Rosini, S., Smith, R., Sinclair, I., Mavrogordato, M., . . . Kratz, J. (2023). Observations of Wrinkling in Non-Crimp Fabrics during Multi-Ply Stack Forming using In situ XCT Scanning. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 176, 107880. Scopus6 WoS4 |
| 2022 | Smith, R., De Marco, F., Broche, L., Zdora, M. -C., Phillips, N. W., Boardman, R., & Thibault, P. (2022). X-ray directional dark-field imaging using Unified Modulated Pattern Analysis.. PloS one, 17(8), 1-12. Scopus15 WoS15 Europe PMC8 |
| 2020 | Zdora, M. -C., Zanette, I., Walker, T., Phillips, N. W., Smith, R., Deyhle, H., . . . Thibault, P. (2020). X-ray phase imaging with the unified modulated pattern analysis of near-field speckles at a laboratory source.. Applied optics, 59(8), 2270-2275. Scopus19 WoS17 Europe PMC5 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Davis, M., McCarron, A., Smith, R., Rout-Pitt, N., Reyne, N., Costello, L., . . . Donnelley, M. (2025). Optimising Magnetic-Guidance of Lentiviral Vectors for Improved Airway Gene Therapy Efficacy. In MOLECULAR THERAPY Vol. 33 (pp. 2 pages). LA, New Orleans: CELL PRESS. |
| 2024 | Reyne, N., Cmielewski, P., Smith, R., Eikelis, N., Nilsen, K., Mall, M., . . . Donnelley, M. (2024). X-ray Velocimetry detects peripheral lung ventilation defects in ßENaC mice. In RESPIROLOGY Vol. 29 (pp. 166). WILEY. |
| 2023 | Smith, R., Boardman, R., & Thibault, P. (2023). Speckle-based directional dark-field x-ray imaging with a liquid-metal-jet source. In PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON X-RAY MICROSCOPY – XRM2022 Vol. 2990 (pp. 040014). Hsinchu, Taiwan: AIP Publishing. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2023 | De Marco, F., Savatović, S., Riedel, M., Smith, R., Di Trapani, V., Margini, M., . . . Thibault, P. (2023). High-speed analysis of speckle-based imaging data with unified modulated pattern analysis (UMPA). In AIP Conference Proceedings Vol. 2990 (pp. 040011). Online: American Institute of Physics. DOI |
| 2022 | Martin, C. J., Smith, R., Mavrogordato, M., Rosini, S., Maes, V., Sinclair, I., . . . Kratz, J. (2022). TIME RESOLVED IN-SITU CT SCANNING OF NON-CRIMP FABRIC FORMING. In ECCM 2022 - Proceedings of the 20th European Conference on Composite Materials: Composites Meet Sustainability Vol. 2 (pp. 1052-1059). Lausanne, Switzerland: Composite Construction Laboratory (CCLab). DOI Scopus1 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Smith, R., Carron, A. M., Donnelley, M., Parsons, D., Morgan, K., Reyne, N., & Cmielewski, P. (n.d.). Directional Dark-Field Imaging Data of Magnet Assisted Airway Treatment Delivery. DOI |
| - | Smith, R., Donnelley, M., Reyne, N., Cmielewski, P., & Parsons, D. (n.d.). X-ray Velocimetry and flexivent measurements of Cystic Fibrosis rat models before and after a localised insult to the lung. DOI |
| - | Smith, R., Donnelley, M., Reyne, N., & Mall, M. A. (n.d.). X-ray Velocimetry and Flexivent data for a cohort of the Beta-ENaC-TG mouse model of Cystic Fibrosis. DOI |
| - | Smith, R., Donnelley, M., Nguyen, P., & Badiei, A. (n.d.). X-ray Velocimetry and CT images of healthy sheep undergoing endobronchial valve placement and removal. DOI |
| - | Smith, R., Donnelley, M., Reyne, N., ASSELIN-LABAT, M. -L., & Batey, D. (n.d.). X-ray Velocimetry, CT, Flexivent and Histology dataset of mice with lung tumours.. DOI |
| - | Smith, R., Donnelley, M., Parkinson-Lawrence, E., & Orgeig, S. (n.d.). X-ray Velocimetry and Flexivent data for a cohort of mice with Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) disease. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Smith, R., Reyne, N., Batey, D., Eikelis, N., Asselin Labat, M. -L., & Donnelley, M. (2025). Mapping Lung Cancer Ventilation Dynamics: A Pilot Mouse Study Using Functional Imaging and Lung Mechanics. DOI |
| 2024 | Reyne, N., Smith, R., Cmielewski, P., Eikelis, N., Nilsen, K., Louise, J., . . . Donnelley, M. (2024). Functional lung imaging identifies peripheral ventilation changes in mice with muco-obstructive lung disease. DOI |
| 2024 | How, Y. Y., Reyne, N., Croughan, M. K., Cmielewski, P., Batey, D., Costello, L. F., . . . Morgan, K. S. (2024). In vivo 4D x-ray dark-field lung imaging in mice. |
| 2024 | Le Houx, J., Fletcher, D. M., Leonardi, A., Williams, K., Walker, N., Alvarez-Borges, F., . . . Ruiz, S. (2024). Illuminating root-soil mechanics. DOI |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Understanding and improving gene vector targeting with lentiviral magnetic nanoparticles | Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Madison Michelle Davis |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Understanding and improving gene vector targeting with lentiviral magnetic nanoparticles | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Madison Michelle Davis |
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