Dr Enda Byrne
Dr

Enda Byrne

Email: 

Background

The objective of my research is to improve understanding of the genetic etiology and biological mechanisms underlying risk of common psychiatric disorders, particularly those with onset during childhood and adolescence. As a Senior Research Fellow at the Child Health Research Centre, I lead a number of domestic and international collaborations that evaluate the association between polygenic risk scores, environmental variables and behaviour during childhood and adolescence. My group applies innovative statistical methods to large longitudinal datasets with information from infancy through to adulthood and to evaluate genetic and environmental contributions to risk to mental health problems. In addition, our research focuses on the potential clinical utility of polygenic risk scores in psychiatry. I have contributed to major advances in understanding of the etiology of a number of psychiatric disorders, with a major focus on depression

PhD and Honours projects are available in the group. Please contact me for more information.

Availability

Dr Enda Byrne is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Genomic Technologies

  • Statistical and Computational methods

Research impacts

My research has contributed to advances in a number of fields through the identification of previously unknown genetic variants that contribute to risk to complex disorders. The identification of these variants opens up new avenues for developing drug targets to target the biological pathways in which they are found.

Search Professor Enda Byrne’s works on UQ eSpace

222 works between 2004 and 2026
All (222) Journal Article (177) Other Outputs (1) Conference Publication (43) Book Chapter (1)

1 - 20 of 222 works

2026

Journal Article

Burden of health comorbidities and associated health care costs in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study using the medication-based Rx-Risk Comorbidity Index

Lind, Penelope A., Hickie, Ian B., Byrne, Enda M., Martin, Nicholas G. and Medland, Sarah E. (2026). Burden of health comorbidities and associated health care costs in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study using the medication-based Rx-Risk Comorbidity Index. Journal of Affective Disorders, 414 122397, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.122397

Burden of health comorbidities and associated health care costs in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study using the medication-based Rx-Risk Comorbidity Index

2026

Journal Article

Association between polygenic liability to depression and lifetime depression in at-risk adolescents

Byrne, Enda M., Gillespie, Nathan A., Najman, Jake M., Henders, Anjali K., Mitchell, Brittany L., Dwyer, Dominic, Hartmann, Simon, Cavve, Blake S., Amminger, G. Paul, Clark, Scott, Gao, Caroline, Lin, Ashleigh, Schmaal, Lianne, Thompson, Andrew, Wood, Stephen J., Wigman, J.T.W, Yung, Alison R., Medland, Sarah E., Crouse, Jacob J., Scott, Jan, Scott, James G., Williams, Gail M., Nelson, Barnaby, Martin, Nicholas G., Hickie, Ian B., Wray, Naomi R. and Middeldorp, Christel M. (2026). Association between polygenic liability to depression and lifetime depression in at-risk adolescents. Molecular Psychiatry, 1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41380-026-03917-5

Association between polygenic liability to depression and lifetime depression in at-risk adolescents

2026

Journal Article

THE PREDICTION OF SYMPTOM SEVERITY IN CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN A CLINICAL COHORT OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS

Middeldorp, Christel M., Galligan, Dana, Gangaraju, Swathi, Wray, Naomi and Byrne, Enda (2026). THE PREDICTION OF SYMPTOM SEVERITY IN CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN A CLINICAL COHORT OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 111 113018, 113018. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.113018

THE PREDICTION OF SYMPTOM SEVERITY IN CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN A CLINICAL COHORT OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS

2026

Journal Article

T89. ANALYSIS OF PLASMA PROTEOMIC DATA IN THE AUSTRALIAN AUTISM BIOBANK REVEALS WEAK ASSOCIATIONS WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TRAITS

Ormond, Shannon, Yang, Yuanhao, Neupane, Sabita, Byrne, Enda, Wallace, Leanne and Gratten, Jacob (2026). T89. ANALYSIS OF PLASMA PROTEOMIC DATA IN THE AUSTRALIAN AUTISM BIOBANK REVEALS WEAK ASSOCIATIONS WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TRAITS. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 111 113346, 113346. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.113346

T89. ANALYSIS OF PLASMA PROTEOMIC DATA IN THE AUSTRALIAN AUTISM BIOBANK REVEALS WEAK ASSOCIATIONS WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TRAITS

2026

Journal Article

CROSS-COHORT EVALUATION OF GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDHOOD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY USING MACHINE LEARNING

Gangaraju, Swathi Hassan, Middeldorp, Christel M. and Byrne, Enda (2026). CROSS-COHORT EVALUATION OF GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDHOOD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY USING MACHINE LEARNING. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 111 113020, 113020. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.113020

CROSS-COHORT EVALUATION OF GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDHOOD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY USING MACHINE LEARNING

2026

Journal Article

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETIC FACTORS, URINARY METABOLISM AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL AND INTERNALISING PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

McIntosh, Harry, Ormond, Shannon, Gratten, Jake, Byrne, Enda and Middeldorp, Christel M. (2026). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETIC FACTORS, URINARY METABOLISM AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL AND INTERNALISING PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 111 113019, 113019. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.113019

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETIC FACTORS, URINARY METABOLISM AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL AND INTERNALISING PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

2026

Journal Article

TRANSDIAGNOSTIC GENETIC RESEARCH IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Middeldorp, Christel M., Byrne, Enda and Polderman, Tinca (2026). TRANSDIAGNOSTIC GENETIC RESEARCH IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 111 113017, 113017-111. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.113017

TRANSDIAGNOSTIC GENETIC RESEARCH IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

2026

Conference Publication

Developing and Evaluating a Cross-Cutting "Circadian Depression" Phenotype

Crouse, Jacob, Tonini, Emiliana, Carpenter, Joanne S., Shin, Mirim, Mitchell, Brittany L., Byrne, Enda M., Hockey, Samuel H., Wray, Naomi R., Lind, Penelope A., Medland, Sarah E., Merikangas, Kathleen R., Martin, Nicholas G., Scott, Jan, Scott, Elizabeth M. and Hickie, Ian B. (2026). Developing and Evaluating a Cross-Cutting "Circadian Depression" Phenotype. 28th Annual Conference of the International-Society-for-Bipolar-Disorders, Vancouver Canada, Sep 28-30, 2026. HOBOKEN: WILEY.

Developing and Evaluating a Cross-Cutting "Circadian Depression" Phenotype

2026

Journal Article

Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response, and polygenic risk profile

Shin, Mirim, Crouse, Jacob J., Lin, Tian, Byrne, Enda M., Mitchell, Brittany L., Lind, Penelope A., Parker, Richard, Mckenna, Sarah, Tonini, Emiliana, Carpenter, Joanne S., Merikangas, Kathleen R., Wray, Naomi R., Medland, Sarah E., Martin, Nicholas G. and Hickie, Ian B. (2026). Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response, and polygenic risk profile. Biological Psychiatry, 100 (5), 525-535. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.01.003

Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response, and polygenic risk profile

2026

Journal Article

Association between menstrual cycle characteristics and mental health in early adolescence

Marla, Sushma, Gangaraju, Swathi Hassan, Nguyen, Josh, Sarasjärvi, Kiira Karoliina, Ye, Rochelle Ruby, Schmaal, Lianne, Thompson, Andrew, Clark, Scott R., Lin, Ashleigh, Wigman, Johanna T.W., Wood, Stephen, Davey, Christopher G., Guloksuz, Sinan, Nelson, Barnaby, Middeldorp, Christel M. and Byrne, Enda M. (2026). Association between menstrual cycle characteristics and mental health in early adolescence. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. doi: 10.1007/s00787-026-03163-8

Association between menstrual cycle characteristics and mental health in early adolescence

2026

Journal Article

Stepping Stones Triple P: A randomised controlled trial evaluating the added benefit of an enhanced parenting program in a neurodevelopmental clinical sample

Galligan, Dana E., Payne, Leanne, Paramecwari, Ayu, Howarth, Sophie, Kato, Akina, Heussler, Helen, Sanders, Matthew R., Cobham, Vanessa E., Byrne, Enda M. and Middeldorp, Christel M. (2026). Stepping Stones Triple P: A randomised controlled trial evaluating the added benefit of an enhanced parenting program in a neurodevelopmental clinical sample. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. doi: 10.1007/s00787-026-03139-8

Stepping Stones Triple P: A randomised controlled trial evaluating the added benefit of an enhanced parenting program in a neurodevelopmental clinical sample

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide genetic overlap between fear-based disorders and generalised anxiety disorder

ter Kuile, Abigail R., Mitchell, Brittany L., Lee, Sang Hyuck, Morneau-Vaillancourt, Geneviève, Skelton, Megan, Coleman, Jonathan R. I., Davies, Helena L., Mundy, Jessica, Peel, Alicia J., Hübel, Christopher, Davies, Molly R., Fürtjes, Anna E., Ahmad, Zain, Lin, Yuhao, Adey, Brett N., McGregor, Thomas, Palmos, Alish, Zvrskovec, Johan, Hotopf, Matthew, Kalsi, Gursharan, Smith, Daniel J., Veale, David, Walters, James T. R., Armour, Chérie, Hirsch, Colette R., McIntosh, Andrew M., Wray, Naomi R., Medland, Sarah E., Byrne, Enda M. ... Eley, Thalia C. (2026). Genome-wide genetic overlap between fear-based disorders and generalised anxiety disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 1-14. doi: 10.1038/s41380-026-03677-2

Genome-wide genetic overlap between fear-based disorders and generalised anxiety disorder

2026

Journal Article

The role of genetic data in dissecting depression heterogeneity

Mitchell, Brittany L., Monistrol-Mula, Anna, Thomas, Jodi T. and Byrne, Enda M. (2026). The role of genetic data in dissecting depression heterogeneity. Biological Psychiatry, 99 (12), 1100-1109. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.10.029

The role of genetic data in dissecting depression heterogeneity

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry

Skelton, Megan, Mitchell, Brittany L., Assary, Elham, Li, Danyang, Morneau-Vaillancourt, Genevieve, Murphy, Alan E., ter Kuile, Abigail R., Wang, Rujia, Adams, Mark J., Byrne, Enda M., Corfield, Elizabeth C., Grimes, Poppy Z., Hannigan, Laurie J., Hu, Jihua, Kõiv, Kadri, Kwong, Alex S. F., Papiol, Sergi, Pettersen, Johanne H., Pistis, Giorgio, Castelao, Enrique, Strom, Nora I., van der Most, Peter J., Anxiety Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Bacanu, Silviu-Alin, Cheesman, Rosa, Purves, Kirstin L., Gedik, Hüseyin, Faucon, Annika B., Singh, Kritika ... Eley, Thalia C. (2026). Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry. Nature Human Behaviour, 10 (8), 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s41562-026-02476-7

Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry

2026

Journal Article

Poor mood after oral contraceptive use is associated with increased vulnerability to peripartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and higher genetic risk for depression

Kiewa, Jacqueline, Lind, Penelope A., Hickie, Ian B., Medland, Sarah E., Mitchell, Brittany E., Middeldorp, Christel M., Martin, Nicholas G., Wray, Naomi R. and Byrne, Enda M. (2026). Poor mood after oral contraceptive use is associated with increased vulnerability to peripartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and higher genetic risk for depression. Archives of Womens Mental Health, 29 (3) 71, 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s00737-026-01708-z

Poor mood after oral contraceptive use is associated with increased vulnerability to peripartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and higher genetic risk for depression

2026

Journal Article

Genetic and phenotypic associations With sustained antidepressant use in major depressive disorder

Walker, Alicia, Mitchell, Brittany L., Lin, Tian, Crouse, Jacob J., Albinana, Clara, Yap, Chloe X., Lynall, Mary Ellen, Lind, Penelope A., Cipriani, Andrea, Byrne, Enda M., Medland, Sarah E., Martin, Nicholas G., Taquet, Maxime, Hickie, Ian B. and Wray, Naomi R. (2026). Genetic and phenotypic associations With sustained antidepressant use in major depressive disorder. Jama Psychiatry, 83 (3), 247-258. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.4372

Genetic and phenotypic associations With sustained antidepressant use in major depressive disorder

2026

Journal Article

Effects of 6-months of SSRI use on DNA-methylation and gene expression in blood

Barker, Lauren F., McRae, Allan F, Yuen, Hok Pan, Henders, Anjali K, Wallace, Leanne M, Lin, Tian, Davyson, Ella, Phassouliotis, Christina, Spark, Jessica, Kerr, Melissa, Street, Rebekah, Byrne, Enda M, Amminger, G.Paul, Nelson, Barnaby, Wray, Naomi R. and McGorry, Patrick D (2026). Effects of 6-months of SSRI use on DNA-methylation and gene expression in blood. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 135 106520. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106520

Effects of 6-months of SSRI use on DNA-methylation and gene expression in blood

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide association study of major anxiety disorders in 122,341 European-ancestry cases identifies 58 loci and highlights GABAergic signaling

Strom, Nora I., Verhulst, Brad, Bacanu, Silviu-Alin, Cheesman, Rosa, Purves, Kirstin L., Gedik, Hüseyin, Mitchell, Brittany L., Kwong, Alex S., Faucon, Annika B., Singh, Kritika, Medland, Sarah, Colodro-Conde, Lucia, Krebs, Kristi, Hoffmann, Per, Herms, Stefan, Gehlen, Jan, Ripke, Stephan, Awasthi, Swapnil, Palviainen, Teemu, Tasanko, Elisa M., Peterson, Roseann E., Adkins, Daniel E., Shabalin, Andrey A., Adams, Mark J., Iveson, Matthew H., Campbell, Archie, Thomas, Laurent F., Winsvold, Bendik S., Drange, Ole Kristian ... Hettema, John M. (2026). Genome-wide association study of major anxiety disorders in 122,341 European-ancestry cases identifies 58 loci and highlights GABAergic signaling. Nature Genetics, 58 (2), 275-288. doi: 10.1038/s41588-025-02485-8

Genome-wide association study of major anxiety disorders in 122,341 European-ancestry cases identifies 58 loci and highlights GABAergic signaling

2026

Journal Article

Unravelling sex differences in the genetic architecture of anxiety

Hu, Jihua, Lupton, Michelle K., Byrne, Enda M., Martin, Nicholas G., Whiteman, David C., Olsen, Catherine M., Thomas, Jodi T., Medland, Sarah E., Grasby, Katrina L. and Mitchell, Brittany L. (2026). Unravelling sex differences in the genetic architecture of anxiety. Psychological Medicine, 56 e191, 1-12. doi: 10.1017/s0033291726104760

Unravelling sex differences in the genetic architecture of anxiety

2026

Journal Article

Are there causal associations between obsessive-compulsive disorder and cardiometabolic phenotypes? a genetic correlation and bi-directional mendelian randomization study

Wootton, Robyn E., Crowley, James J., Pol-Fuster, Josep, Holmberg, Anna, Rück, Christian, Strom, Nora I., Gerring, Zachary F., Galimberti, Marco, Yu, Dongmei, Halvorsen, Matthew W., Abdellaoui, Abdel, Rodriguez-Fontenla, Cristina, Sealock, Julia M., Bigdeli, Tim, Coleman, Jonathan R. I., Mahjani, Behrang, Thorp, Jackson G., Bey, Katharina Burton, Christie, L., Luykx, Jurjen J., Zai, Gwyneth, Alemany, Silvia, Andre, Christine, Askland, Kathleen D., Banaj, Nerisa, Barlassina, Cristina, Nissen, Becker, Bienvenu, Judith, Joseph, O. ... Fernández de la Cruz, Lorena (2026). Are there causal associations between obsessive-compulsive disorder and cardiometabolic phenotypes? a genetic correlation and bi-directional mendelian randomization study. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 201 (5), 321-330. doi: 10.1002/ajmgb.70003

Are there causal associations between obsessive-compulsive disorder and cardiometabolic phenotypes? a genetic correlation and bi-directional mendelian randomization study

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2029
    Pharmacogenetics to improve drug tolerability in child psychiatry
    NHMRC MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Enabling pharmacogenomics in the Australian context: improving the accuracy of clinical utility and cost effectiveness analyses (MRFF externally administered by QIMR)
    Queensland Institute of Medical Research
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Youth-GEMs: Gene Environment interactions in Mental health trajectories of Youth
    NHMRC European Union Collaborative Research Grants
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Gene Environment interactions in Mental health trajectories of Youth - YOUTH-GEMs (EU grant administered by Maastricht University)
    Maastricht University
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2025
    Australian Pharmacogenomics Diversity Project: Examining the evidence and improving the performance of pharmacogenomics in the Australian context (MRFF grant administered by QIMR Berghofer)
    Queensland Institute of Medical Research
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    Postpartum Depression: Action Towards Causes and Treatment
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Postpartum Depression: Action Towards Causes and Treatment
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Tackling heterogeneity in the etiology of major depressive disorder (NHMRC Project Grant administered by QIMR)
    Queensland Institute of Medical Research
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    Discovering deep sleep genes and determining their roles for preserving cognitive functions
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2017
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (CJ Martin - Overseas Biomedical Fellowship): Using new genomic technologies, statistical and computational methods to uncover the genetic aetiology of complex traits
    NHMRC Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowship
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Enda Byrne is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Gene Environment interactions in Mental health trajectories of Youth (Youth-GEMs)

    Mental health problems are common in young people, with life-long enduring impacts on individuals, families and societies. More than 63% of mental disorders throughout the life span emerge before 24 years of age, peaking at 14.5-18 years. Adolescence and young adulthood represent a critical period that forecasts the level of mental wellbeing over lifetime and interventions early in life may be critical in preventing later mental illness.

    The Child and Youth Mental Health Group is part of an Australian and European Union-funded consortium called Youth-GEMs that seeks to characterise and model trajectories of mental health in youth. In collaboration with researchers from universities in Europe, this project will combine datasets from longitudinal cohort studies from around the world to investigate the interplay between genetic, epigenetic, and environmental risk in influencing mental health across development.

    This project will involve advanced data analytics and statistical inference and will involve combining and analysing different types of data including genetic, clinical and environmental data. The ultimate goal is to develop predictive tools that can be used to aid clinical decision-making in youth mental health.

    We are seeking a motivated PhD scholar with a background in genetics, biomedical science, psychology, data science, machine learning or a related field to join our team and work closely with collaborators overseas on this project. There is also the possibility to spend time overseas at one of the collaborating labs.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding child and parent mental health over time: evidence from a neurodevelopmental clinical cohort

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Naomi Wray

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Gene Environment interactions in Mental health trajectories of Youth

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and associated comorbidities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Allan McRae

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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communications@uq.edu.au