David A. Ferenbach is a Scottish medical researcher. He specializes in renal medicine. As of 2023, he is the Personal Chair of Regenerative Nephrology at the University of Edinburgh, and a fellow in the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Biography.
David Arthur Ferenbach was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, the eldest of three brothers and one sister. He attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh and matriculated at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), alongside an intercalated Bachelor of Science with honours in Pathology. Following medical school, he completed house officer rotations in Edinburgh. He then moved to Glasgow, working as a Senior House Officer on the Royal Infirmary medical rotation and later as an SHO3 in Renal Medicine at the Glasgow Royal and Western Infirmaries.
Ferenbach pursued his doctoral research in Nephrology at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Professor Jeremy Hughes and Dr David Kluth. His PhD was supported by a Clinical Training Fellowship from Kidney Research UK (2005–2008), followed by a Research Fellowship from Medical Research Scotland (2008–2009). He was appointed Clinical Lecturer in Nephrology at the University of Edinburgh in 2011. In 2013, he was awarded a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship, during which he conducted research at Harvard Medical School and Edinburgh. In 2022, he received an MRC Senior Clinical Fellowship to investigate senescent cell signalling pathways. He was promoted to Personal Chair of Regenerative Nephrology at the University of Edinburgh in April 2023. He is also a fellow in the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Research.
Ferenbach's research centers on the mechanisms of acute kidney injury, the role of macrophages in renal repair, the effects of ageing and cellular senescence on kidney disease progression, and the development of senescence‑targeted anti‑fibrotic therapies. As of 2025, he has authored over 37 peer‑reviewed articles and led multiple grants funded by the Medical Research Council, ARGENX BV, and Kidney Research UK. Ferenbach's work has been featured in outlets such as Medical Xpress and SciTechDaily.