Distinguished Laureate Professor Nicholas Talley has been ranked as Australia’s #1 scientist according to Research.com’s annual list of the world’s leading scientists.

The Gut researcher and Gastroenterologist was also ranked 171^st in the world in Research.com’s

AS a Chief Investigator in the National Health and Medical Research Council-funded, Centre of Excellence in Digestive Health, Professor Talley says that “it’s nice to advertise the group’s success”.

“We are the leading group in the world looking at the role of microbes and the immune response in the gastrointestinal tract. We are trying to find the underlying causes of diseases like IBS and inflammatory bowel disease.

“The gut is only second to the brain in terms of the complexity of the nerves and muscles. We know that stress pathways, as well as infections like viral infections like COVID-19, bacterial infections like Salmonella and E.coli and parasites like Giardia, play a major role in these diseases,” says Professor Talley.

“The most important thing you can do for your gut health is eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet like the Meditteranean diet equals healthy bugs in your gut, which ultimately equals a healthy like,” says Professor Talley.

He also says that exercise is critically important and that smoking and alcohol are both ‘terrible in any dose’ but coffee is OK.

Professor Talley is considered one of the world’s leading gastroenterologists. His research is primarily focused on functional gastrointestinal disorders, dyspepsia, Helicobacter pylori, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and eosinophilic disorders of the gut. Find out more about his research work here.