Kimberley Parkin

I'm currently an early career researcher working with the Translational Immunology team at The Kids Research Institute Australia. I completed my PhD in paediatrics at the University of Western Australia in 2024, with the thesis, "The impact of water quality on the development of the infant gut microbiome: a randomised controlled trial". My thesis examined the environmental factors influencing the development of the infant gut microbiome and their contributions to non-communicable diseases later in life. Specifically, it explored chlorinated drinking water as an underappreciated risk factor for gut dysbiosis via a clinical trial. Prior to my PhD, I completed my first class honours thesis at Curtin University, titled "The role of pericytes and platelet-derived factors in promoting a metastatic phenotype in ovarian cancer”.