Professor Loic Yengo
Professor

Loic Yengo

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 62095

Background

Dr Loic Yengo is a Professor of Statistical Genomics at The University of Queensland (UQ) and Group Leader of the Statistical Genomics Laboratory within UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He was awarded a prestigious Snow Medical Research Fellowship in 2024 to dramatically advance the use of genomics to prevent chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, with a particular focus on increasing participation of people with diverse ancestries. After completing a PhD in applied mathematics and statistics at the University of Lille (France) in 2014, he joined UQ in 2016 for postdoctoral training in Quantitative and Statistical Genetics. Loic started his own lab in 2020 to investigate the causes and consequences of genetic variation within and between human populations. His group develops and applies novel statistical methods to analyse large volumes of genomic data. Loic’s research has contributed to improving understanding of the genetic and phenotypic consequences of non-random mating (inbreeding and assortative mating) in human populations and has led to identifying novel genetic variants associated with complex traits and diseases. Loic was named among the top 40 rising stars of research by The Australian newspaper in 2021 and received the UQ Foundation research excellence award the same year. Loic is the 2022 recipient of the Ruth Stephens Gani Medal of the Australian Academy of Science recognizing outstanding contributions to research in human genetics, and was named in Nature Medicine’s 2022 Yearbook among 11 early-career researchers “to watch”.

In 2024, he was the recipient of the American Society of Human Genetics Early Career Award and a Snow Medical Research Foundation Fellowship to accelerate the deployment of genomic risk prediction in the clinic and improve the benefit of genomic medicine in all populations.

Availability

Professor Loic Yengo is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Université Lille 1 - Sciences et Technologies

Research impacts

The research in the Yengo Lab contributes to the discovery of genes and biological pathways involved in the etiology of multifactorial diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The ultimate goal of our research is to better understand what genes underlie inter-individual variation in disease susceptibility and help translate that knowledge into new and personalised therapies.

Search Professor Loic Yengo’s works on UQ eSpace

153 works between 2010 and 2025
All (153) Journal Article (144) Conference Publication (9)

121 - 140 of 153 works

2015

Journal Article

Directional dominance on stature and cognition in diverse human populations

Joshi, Peter K., Esko, Tonu, Mattsson, Hannele, Eklund, Niina, Gandin, Ilaria, Nutile, Teresa, Jackson, Anne U., Schurmann, Claudia, Smith, Albert V., Zhang, Weihua, Okada, Yukinori, Stancakova, Alena, Faul, Jessica D., Zhao, Wei, Bartz, Traci M., Concas, Maria Pina, Franceschini, Nora, Enroth, Stefan, Vitart, Veronique, Trompet, Stella, Guo, Xiuqing, Chasman, Daniel I., O'Connel, Jeffrey R., Corre, Tanguy, Nongmaithem, Suraj S., Chen, Yuning, Mangino, Massimo, Ruggiero, Daniela, Traglia, Michela ... Wilson, James F. (2015). Directional dominance on stature and cognition in diverse human populations. Nature, 523 (7561), 459-462. doi: 10.1038/nature14618

Directional dominance on stature and cognition in diverse human populations

2015

Journal Article

The loss-of-function PCSK9 p.R46L genetic variant does not alter glucose homeostasis

Bonnefond, Amelie, Yengo, Loic, Le May, Cedric, Fumeron, Frederic, Marre, Michel, Balkau, Beverley, Charpentier, Guillaume, Franc, Sylvia, Froguel, Philippe and Cariou, Bertrand (2015). The loss-of-function PCSK9 p.R46L genetic variant does not alter glucose homeostasis. Diabetologia, 58 (9), 2051-2055. doi: 10.1007/s00125-015-3659-8

The loss-of-function PCSK9 p.R46L genetic variant does not alter glucose homeostasis

2015

Journal Article

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution

Shungin, Dmitry, Winkler, Thomas W, Croteau-Chonka, Damien C, Ferreira, Teresa, Locke, Adam E, Magi, Reedik, Strawbridge, Rona J, Pers, Tune H, Fischer, Krista, Justice, Anne E, Workalemahu, Tsegaselassie, Wu, Joseph M.W, Buchkovich, Martin L, Heard-Costa, Nancy L, Roman, Tamara S, Drong, Alexander W, Song, Ci, Gustafsson, Stefan, Day, Felix R, Esko, Tonu, Fall, Tove, Kutalik, Zoltan, Luan, Jian'an, Randall, Joshua C, Scherag, Andre, Vedantam, Sailaja, Wood, Andrew R, Chen, Jin, Fehrmann, Rudolf ... Shah, Sonia (2015). New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution. Nature, 518 (7538), 187-196. doi: 10.1038/nature14132

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution

2015

Journal Article

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

Locke, Adam E., Kahali, Bratati, Berndt, Sonja I., Justice, Anne E., Pers, Tune H., Day, Felix R., Powell, Corey, Vedantam, Sailaja, Buchkovich, Martin L., Yang, Jian, Croteau-Chonka, Damien C., Esko, Tonu, Fall, Tove, Ferreira, Teresa, Gustafsson, Stefan, Kutalik, Zoltán, Luan, Jian'an, Mägi, Reedik, Randall, Joshua C., Winkler, Thomas W., Wood, Andrew R., Workalemahu, Tsegaselassie, Faul, Jessica D., Smith, Jennifer A., Zhao, Jing Hua, Zhao, Wei, Chen, Jin, Fehrmann, Rudolf, Hedman, Asa K. ... Shah, Sonia (2015). Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology. Nature, 518 (7538), 197-206. doi: 10.1038/nature14177

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

2015

Journal Article

Beneficial effect of a high number of copies of salivary amylase AMY1 gene on obesity risk in Mexican children

Mejia-Bentez, Maria A., Bonnefond, Amelie, Yengo, Loic, Huyvaert, Marlene, Dechaume, Aurelie, Peralta-Romero, Jesus, Kluender-Kluender, Miguel, Garcia Mena, Jaime, Moustafa, Julia S. El-Sayed, Falchi, Mario, Cruz, Miguel and Froguel, Philippe (2015). Beneficial effect of a high number of copies of salivary amylase AMY1 gene on obesity risk in Mexican children. Diabetologia, 58 (2), 290-294. doi: 10.1007/s00125-014-3441-3

Beneficial effect of a high number of copies of salivary amylase AMY1 gene on obesity risk in Mexican children

2014

Journal Article

Defining the role of common variation in the genomic and biological architecture of adult human height

Wood, Andrew R., Esko, Tonu, Yang, Jian, Vedantam, Sailaja, Pers, Tune H., Gustafsson, Stefan, Chu, Audrey Y., Estrada, Karol, Luan, Jian'an, Kutalik, Zoltan, Amin, Najaf, Buchkovich, Martin L., Croteau-Chonka, Damien C., Day, Felix R., Duan, Yanan, Fall, Tove, Fehrmann, Rudolf, Ferreira, Teresa, Jackson, Anne U., Karjalainen, Juha, Lo, Ken Sin, Locke, Adam E., Magi, Reedik, Mihailov, Evelin, Porcu, Evelin, Randall, Joshua C., Scherag, Andre, Vinkhuyzen, Anne A. E., Westra, Harm-Jan ... Frayling, Timothy M. (2014). Defining the role of common variation in the genomic and biological architecture of adult human height. Nature Genetics, 46 (11), 1173-1186. doi: 10.1038/ng.3097

Defining the role of common variation in the genomic and biological architecture of adult human height

2014

Journal Article

Type 2 diabetes-related genetic risk scores associated with variations in fasting plasma glucose and development of impaired glucose homeostasis in the prospective DESIR study

Vaxillaire, Martine, Yengo, Loic, Lobbens, Stephane, Rocheleau, Ghislain, Eury, Elodie, Lantieri, Olivier, Marre, Michel, Balkau, Beverley, Bonnefond, Amelie and Froguel, Philippe (2014). Type 2 diabetes-related genetic risk scores associated with variations in fasting plasma glucose and development of impaired glucose homeostasis in the prospective DESIR study. Diabetologia, 57 (8), 1601-1610. doi: 10.1007/s00125-014-3277-x

Type 2 diabetes-related genetic risk scores associated with variations in fasting plasma glucose and development of impaired glucose homeostasis in the prospective DESIR study

2014

Journal Article

Coffee and tea consumption, genotype-based CYP1A2 and NAT2 activity and colorectal cancer risk - results from the EPIC cohort study

Dik, Vincent K., Bueno-de-Mesquita, H. B(as), Van Oijen, Martijn G. H., Siersema, Peter D., Uiterwaal, Cuno S. P. M., Van Gils, Carla H., Van Duijnhoven, Fraenzel J. B., Cauchi, Stephane, Yengo, Loic, Froguel, Philippe, Overvad, Kim, Bech, Bodil H., Tjonneland, Anne, Olsen, Anja, Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine, Racine, Antoine, Fagherazzi, Guy, Kuehn, Tilman, Campa, Daniele, Boeing, Heiner, Aleksandrova, Krasimira, Trichopoulou, Antonia, Peppa, Eleni, Oikonomou, Eleni, Palli, Domenico, Grioni, Sara, Vineis, Paolo, Tumino, Rosaria, Panico, Salvatore ... Riboli, Elio (2014). Coffee and tea consumption, genotype-based CYP1A2 and NAT2 activity and colorectal cancer risk - results from the EPIC cohort study. International Journal of Cancer, 135 (2), 401-412. doi: 10.1002/ijc.28655

Coffee and tea consumption, genotype-based CYP1A2 and NAT2 activity and colorectal cancer risk - results from the EPIC cohort study

2014

Journal Article

Weight loss independent association of TCF7 L2 gene polymorphism with fasting blood glucose after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in type 2 diabetic patients

Rouskas, Konstantinos, Cauchi, Stephane, Raverdy, Violeta, Yengo, Loic, Froguel, Philippe and Pattou, Francois (2014). Weight loss independent association of TCF7 L2 gene polymorphism with fasting blood glucose after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in type 2 diabetic patients. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 10 (4), 679-683. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2013.12.016

Weight loss independent association of TCF7 L2 gene polymorphism with fasting blood glucose after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in type 2 diabetic patients

2014

Journal Article

Genome-wide trans-ancestry meta-analysis provides insight into the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes susceptibility

DIAbetes Genetics Replication And Meta-analysis (DIAGRAM) Consortium, Asian Genetic Epidemiology Network Type 2 Diabetes (AGEN-T2D) Consortium, South Asian Type 2 Diabetes (SAT2D) Consortium, Mexican American Type 2 Diabetes (MAT2D) Consortium, Type 2 Diabetes Genetic Exploration by Next-generation sequencing in multi-Ethnic Samples (T2D-GENES) Consortium, Shah, Sonia and Yengo, Loic (2014). Genome-wide trans-ancestry meta-analysis provides insight into the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes susceptibility. Nature Genetics, 46 (3), 234-246. doi: 10.1038/ng.2897

Genome-wide trans-ancestry meta-analysis provides insight into the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes susceptibility

2013

Journal Article

Parental history of type 2 diabetes, TCF7L2 variant and lower insulin secretion are associated with incident hypertension. Data from the DESIR and RISC cohorts

Bonnet, Fabrice, Roussel, Ronan, Natali, Andrea, Cauchi, Stephane, Petrie, John, Laville, Martine, Yengo, Loic, Froguel, Philippe, Lange, Celine, Lantieri, Olivier, Marre, Michel, Balkau, Beverley and Ferrannini, Ele (2013). Parental history of type 2 diabetes, TCF7L2 variant and lower insulin secretion are associated with incident hypertension. Data from the DESIR and RISC cohorts. Diabetologia, 56 (11), 2414-2423. doi: 10.1007/s00125-013-3021-y

Parental history of type 2 diabetes, TCF7L2 variant and lower insulin secretion are associated with incident hypertension. Data from the DESIR and RISC cohorts

2013

Journal Article

Common variants near BDNF and SH2B1 show nominal evidence of association with snacking behavior in European populations

Robiou-du-Pont, Sebastien, Yengo, Loic, Vaillant, Emmanuel, Lobbens, Stephane, Durand, Emmanuelle, Horber, Fritz, Lantieri, Olivier, Marre, Michel, Balkau, Beverley, Froguel, Philippe and Meyre, David (2013). Common variants near BDNF and SH2B1 show nominal evidence of association with snacking behavior in European populations. Journal of Molecular Medicine, 91 (9), 1109-1115. doi: 10.1007/s00109-013-1027-z

Common variants near BDNF and SH2B1 show nominal evidence of association with snacking behavior in European populations

2013

Journal Article

Association between large detectable clonal mosaicism and type 2 diabetes with vascular complications

Bonnefond, Amelie, Skrobek, Boris, Lobbens, Stephane, Eury, Elodie, Thuillier, Dorothee, Cauchi, Stephane, Lantieri, Olivier, Balkau, Beverley, Riboli, Elio, Marre, Michel, Charpentier, Guillaume, Yengo, Loic and Froguel, Philippe (2013). Association between large detectable clonal mosaicism and type 2 diabetes with vascular complications. Nature Genetics, 45 (9), 1040-1043. doi: 10.1038/ng.2700

Association between large detectable clonal mosaicism and type 2 diabetes with vascular complications

2013

Journal Article

Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders

den Hoed, Marcel, Eijgelsheim, Mark, Esko, Tonu, Brundel, Bianca J. J. M., Peal, David S., Evans, David M., Nolte, Ilja M., Segre, Ayellet V., Holm, Hilma, Handsaker, Robert E., Westra, Harm-Jan, Johnson, Toby, Isaacs, Aaron, Yang, Jian, Lundby, Alicia, Zhao, Jing Hua, Kim, Young Jin, Go, Min Jin, Almgren, Peter, Bochud, Murielle, Boucher, Gabrielle, Cornelis, Marilyn C., Gudbjartsson, Daniel, Hadley, David, van der Harst, Pim, Hayward, Caroline, den Heijer, Martin, Igl, Wilmar, Jackson, Anne U. ... Loos, Ruth J. F. (2013). Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders. Nature Genetics, 45 (6), 621-634. doi: 10.1038/ng.2610

Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders

2013

Journal Article

Transcription factor gene MNX1 is a novel cause of permanent neonatal diabetes in a consanguineous family

Bonnefond, A., Vaillant, E., Philippe, J., Skrobek, B., Lobbens, S., Yengo, L., Huyvaert, M., Cave, H., Busiah, K., Scharfmann, R., Polak, M., Abdul-Rasoul, M., Froguel, P. and Vaxillaire, M. (2013). Transcription factor gene MNX1 is a novel cause of permanent neonatal diabetes in a consanguineous family. Diabetes and Metabolism, 39 (3), 276-280. doi: 10.1016/j.diabet.2013.02.007

Transcription factor gene MNX1 is a novel cause of permanent neonatal diabetes in a consanguineous family

2013

Journal Article

Reassessment of the putative role of BLK-p.A71T loss-of-function mutation in MODY and type 2 diabetes

Bonnefond, A., Yengo, L., Philippe, J., Dechaume, A., Ezzidi, I., Vaillant, E., Gjesing, A. P., Andersson, E. A., Czernichow, S., Hercberg, S., Hadjadj, S., Charpentier, G., Lantieri, O., Balkau, B., Marre, M., Pedersen, O., Hansen, T., Froguel, P. and Vaxillaire, M. (2013). Reassessment of the putative role of BLK-p.A71T loss-of-function mutation in MODY and type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia, 56 (3), 492-496. doi: 10.1007/s00125-012-2794-8

Reassessment of the putative role of BLK-p.A71T loss-of-function mutation in MODY and type 2 diabetes

2013

Journal Article

Analysis of the contribution of FTO, NPC1, ENPP1, NEGR1, GNPDA2 and MC4R genes to obesity in Mexican children

Mejia-Benitez, Aurora, Kluender-Kluender, Miguel, Yengo, Loic, Meyre, David, Aradillas, Celia, Cruz, Esperanza, Perez-Luque, Elva, Manuel Malacara, Juan, Eugenia Garay, Maria, Peralta-Romero, Jesus, Flores-Huerta, Samuel, Garcia-Mena, Jaime, Froguel, Philippe, Cruz, Miguel and Bonnefond, Amelie (2013). Analysis of the contribution of FTO, NPC1, ENPP1, NEGR1, GNPDA2 and MC4R genes to obesity in Mexican children. Bmc Medical Genetics, 14 (1) 21. doi: 10.1186/1471-2350-14-21

Analysis of the contribution of FTO, NPC1, ENPP1, NEGR1, GNPDA2 and MC4R genes to obesity in Mexican children

2013

Journal Article

Genome-wide association analyses identify 18 new loci associated with serum urate concentrations

Koettgen, Anna, Albrecht, Eva, Teumer, Alexander, Vitart, Veronique, Krumsiek, Jan, Hundertmark, Claudia, Pistis, Giorgio, Ruggiero, Daniela, O'Seaghdha, Conall M., Haller, Toomas, Yang, Qiong, Tanaka, Toshiko, Johnson, Andrew D., Kutalik, Zoltan, Smith, Albert V., Shi, Julia, Struchalin, Maksim, Middelberg, Rita P. S., Brown, Morris J., Gaffo, Angelo L., Pirastu, Nicola, Li, Guo, Hayward, Caroline, Zemunik, Tatijana, Huffman, Jennifer, Yengo, Loic, Zhao, Jing Hua, Demirkan, Ayse, Feitosa, Mary F. ... Gieger, Christian (2013). Genome-wide association analyses identify 18 new loci associated with serum urate concentrations. Nature Genetics, 45 (2), 145-154. doi: 10.1038/ng.2500

Genome-wide association analyses identify 18 new loci associated with serum urate concentrations

2013

Journal Article

Exome sequencing-driven discovery of coding polymorphisms associated with common metabolic phenotypes

Albrechtsen, A., Grarup, N., Li, Y., Sparso, T., Tian, G., Cao, H., Jiang, T., Kim, S. Y., Korneliussen, T., Li, Q., Nie, C., Wu, R., Skotte, L., Morris, A. P., Ladenvall, C., Cauchi, S., Stancakova, A., Andersen, G., Astrup, A., Banasik, K., Bennett, A. J., Bolund, L., Charpentier, G., Chen, Y., Dekker, J. M., Doney, A. S. F., Dorkhan, M., Forsen, T., Frayling, T. M. ... Pedersen, O. (2013). Exome sequencing-driven discovery of coding polymorphisms associated with common metabolic phenotypes. Diabetologia, 56 (2), 298-310. doi: 10.1007/s00125-012-2756-1

Exome sequencing-driven discovery of coding polymorphisms associated with common metabolic phenotypes

2013

Journal Article

Contribution of 24 obesity-associated genetic variants to insulin resistance, pancreatic beta-cell function and type 2 diabetes risk in the French population

Robiou-du-Pont, S., Bonnefond, A., Yengo, L., Vaillant, E., Lobbens, S., Durand, E., Weill, J., Lantieri, O., Balkau, B., Charpentier, G., Marre, M., Froguel, P. and Meyre, D. (2013). Contribution of 24 obesity-associated genetic variants to insulin resistance, pancreatic beta-cell function and type 2 diabetes risk in the French population. International Journal of Obesity, 37 (7), 980-985. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2012.175

Contribution of 24 obesity-associated genetic variants to insulin resistance, pancreatic beta-cell function and type 2 diabetes risk in the French population

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2030
    Harnessing Genetic Variation to Transform Prevention and Cure of Common Disease
    Snow Medical Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    Statistical Methods for Next Generation Genome-Wide Association Studies
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    The Australian Genetic Diversity Database: towards a more equitable future for genomic medicine in Australia (MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission grant administered by UNSW)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022
    Optimal discovery of genetic variants associated with risk of disease in diverse human populations
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    Better statistical methods to discover host genetic factors in symptom response to SARS-CoV-2 infection
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2022
    Genetic and Molecular Consequences of Non-Random Mating in Humans
    ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
    Open grant
  • 2019
    The Genetic architecture of the human genome size
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2024
    Estimating the genetic and environmental architecture of psychiatric disorders (NIH Grant administered by the University of Colorado)
    University of Colorado
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Loic Yengo is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Genetic and Molecular consequences of non-random mating in humans

    Short Project description. This projects aims at utilising genetic and phenotypic data from ~500,000 participants of the UK Biobank to investigate phenotypic and genetic patterns induced by non-random mating in humans. Two forms of non-random mating will be investigated: assortative mating (resemblance between spouses) and inbreeding (mating between relatives). Findings from this project have implications in the analysis and interpretation of genome-wide association studies. The project will involve advanced modelling and statistical analyses of large volumes of data (genotyped and imputed SNP data, whole-exome sequencing, gene-expression, brain-imaging derived-traits).

    Candidate. Candidates with a background in quantitative/population genetics, statistics, mathematics and other quantitative fields will be considered. Programming skills (R, python, C/C++) and prior experience in analysing genetic data (e.g. GWAS) is desirable. (Note: if required, lectures on fundamental concepts of quantitative and population genetics can be taken as part of the PhD training).

    The Team. The successful candidate will be doing their research within the Program in Complex Traits Genomics (PCTG) Lab co-led by Professors Jian Yang, Naomi Wray and Peter Visscher, who are internationally recognized leaders in the field of complex traits genetics and have been recently listed among the world’s top one per cent most cited researchers of their field. PCTG provides a stimulating and highly interdisciplinary environment for PhD candidates to form and develop their research.

    PhD advisor. Dr Loic Yengo is a senior research officer of the Institute of Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland, Australia; and the Statistical Genetics Team leader within PCTG. He did his PhD in applied mathematics and is an expert in statistical modelling and analysis of genetic data. His research interests intersect quantitative genetics, genetic epidemiology and sociogenomics.

    Expected start. First semester of 2020.

    Contact. If you’re interested, please send your CV and cover letter and two references to Dr Loic Yengo: l.yengo@imb.uq.edu.au

    URLs

    IMB: https://imb.uq.edu.au/

    The team PCTG: http://cnsgenomics.com/

    PhD advisor: https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=iv8dxlIAAAAJ&hl=en

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the time and tissue dependent genetic architecture of complex traits

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Nicole Warrington

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Statistical methods and application to analyses genome and trait data from large biobanks

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kathryn Kemper, Professor Peter Visscher

  • Doctor Philosophy

    New approaches to quantify the genetic cause of disease

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Nathan Palpant

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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