Dr Gareth McKay is Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences Centre for Public Health in Queen’s University, Belfast. His research interests focus on biomarker discovery including identification of (epi)genetic and risk factors associated with diabetic kidney disease, diabetes, dementia and other chronic diseases with a microvascular component. Other research interests include nutrition related risk associated with dementia and the underlying genetics of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Ongoing investigations include genetic and epigenetic associations with socioeconomic status, serum levels of vitamin E, retinal microvascular parameters and their influence on cognition and renal outcomes.