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 grant funded researcher and co-leader of the Respiratory X-ray Imaging Laboratory (REXIL), and member of the Cystic Fibrosis Airway Research Group (CFARG). My work aims to develop and implement new X-ray imaging technqiues to improve the lives of people living with lung disease, for which I was awarded the 2025 'Physics in Medicine and Biology Early Career Award' by the Institute of Physics. 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.
I am the co-leader of the Respiratory X-ray Imaging Laboratory, and a member the Cystic Fibrosis Airways Research Group, which aims to improve the lives of people with Cystic Fibrosis. Check out the above video from the Women's and Children's health Network Excellence Awards for a quick overview.
Functional Lung Imaging
Looking at how lungs function, rather than just their structure, is key to understanding when they are (or aren't) working properly. 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.
Dark-Field X-ray Imaging
Dark-field X-ray imaging is a technique which lets us see texture with X-rays, by looking at how they scatter and blur within a sample. I spent my PhD developing improved methods for dark-field imaging, leading to multiple software packages which I still maintain (UMPA and UMPA-DDF) that are in use globally.
Dark-field X-ray imaging is of interest in the lungs, and I am running several student projects within the area. We have also used dark-field imaging to help develop airway treatment delivery methods, with a recent writeup in the Physics World magazine.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Post Doctoral Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2021 - 2022 | Beamline Scientist/Consultancy Support | University of Southampton |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Award | Physics in Medicine and Biology Early Career Researcher Award | Institute of Physics | United Kingdom | - |
| 2025 | Award | Research Excellence and Impact - University Awards for Outstanding Achievement | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 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. Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2026 | Reyne, N., Boog, B., Cmielewski, P., McCarron, A., Smith, R., Rout-Pitt, N., . . . Donnelley, M. (2026). A longitudinal evaluation of localised chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis rat models. BMC Microbiology, 26(1), 368-1-368-14. |
| 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), 9 pages. Scopus2 WoS1 |
| 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 | Smith, R., & Reyne, N. (2025). First person – Ronan Smith and Nicole Reyne. Dmm Disease Models and Mechanisms, 18(12), 2 pages. |
| 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. Scopus4 WoS3 Europe PMC2 |
| 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. Scopus7 WoS6 Europe PMC6 |
| 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. |
| 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. Scopus3 |
| 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. Scopus10 WoS8 Europe PMC9 |
| 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. Scopus7 WoS10 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. Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC3 |
| 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. Scopus27 WoS19 Europe PMC8 |
| 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. Scopus10 WoS10 |
| 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 WoS6 |
| 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. Scopus16 WoS17 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. Scopus21 WoS19 Europe PMC6 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Smith, R., Christou, C., Williams, G., Bhatta, S., Finnie, J., Eikelis, N., . . . Donnelley, M. (2026). Visualising Ventilation Changes in a Large Animal Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Using X-ray Velocimetry Functional Lung Imaging. In B. S. Gimi, & A. Krol (Eds.), Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 13929 (pp. 103). SPIE. DOI |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Donnelley, M., Tai, A., Carson-Chahhoud, K., Parsons, D., Dharmaprani, D., Smith, R., . . . Phillips, J. (2026). Paediatric x-ray velocimetry lung ventilation imaging: updates and future plans. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts from the Annual Scientific Meeting for Leaders in Lung Health & Respiratory Science as published in Internal Medicine Journal. Australia: WILEY. |
| 2024 | Reyne, N., Cmielewski, P., Smith, R., Eikelis, N., Nilsen, K., Christou, C., . . . Donnelley, M. (2024). Comparing lung ventilation using x-ray velocimetry across various mammals. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the The Australia & New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science and The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (ANZSRS/TSANZ) Annual Scientific Meeting for Leaders in Lung Health & Respiratory Science (TSANZSRS 2024), as published in Respirology. Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast, QLD: Wiley. DOI |
| 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 | Le Houx, J., Fletcher, D. M., Leonardi, A., Williams, K., Walker, N., Alvarez-Borges, F., . . . Ruiz, S. (2024). Illuminating root-soil mechanics. 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 | 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 |
2025 NHMRC Ideas Grant - $1,950,000 title: "Improving Paediatric Respiratory Outcomes Using X- ray Velocimetry Functional Imaging". (Chief Investigator D)
2025 MRFF Chronic Respiratory Conditions - $1,749,371 title: Transforming Paediatric Respiratory Care with X-ray Velocimetry Functional Lung Imaging (Chief Investigator). Note: Declined due to overlap with NHMRC Ideas Grant.
2025 Robinson Research Institute - $12,000 seed funding to investigate magnetic assistance for Cystic Fibrosis gene therapy (principal investigator).
2024 Robinson Research Institute - $40,000 seed funding to investigate how dark-field x-ray imaging can be used as a tool in Cystic Fibrosis research (principal investigator).
2024 Cystic Fibrosis Australia - $80,000 for work on magnetically guided airway treatment delivery – includes funding for use of SPring-8 Synchrotron (co-investigator)
Ongoing Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation- ~$30,000 for travel to Australian Synchrotron and SPring-8 Synchrotron, plus in-kind funding of ~$500,000 for use of synchrotron beamlines (combination of principal and co-investigator).
2021 HPC-Europa3 Scheme – Awarded funds to spend 3 months in Elettra Sincrotrone (Trieste, Italy) as well as CPU hours on the Galileo100 Supercomputer 2021. Approx $30,000AUD of travel and in-kind funding (principal investigator).
2019 Ogden Trust Award for travel to IMXP Conference in Munich (2020).
| 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 |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 - ongoing | Member | Robinson Research Institute EMCR Council | Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide University | Australia |
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