Overview
Background
I am a genetic epidemiologist specialising in the genetics of neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and other age-related conditions. I lead a dynamic team of scientists dedicated to understanding how genetic and environmental factors influence neurodegeneration, brain health, and related health outcomes. My research is interdisciplinary, integrating advanced statistical genetics, bioinformatics, and data science to unravel disease mechanisms, improve patient stratification, and identify potential therapeutic targets.
In 2020, I founded the Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study (APGS), now the largest Parkinson’s cohort in Australia with over 10,000 participants. This landmark study has positioned Australia as a key contributor to global Parkinson’s genetics research. I am also actively involved in the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2), where I contribute to large-scale data analysis and work within the underrepresented populations working group to enhance diversity in genetic research worldwide.
Committed to training the next generation of researchers, I have supervised over 16 students, including several PhD candidates who have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. Two of my recent PhD graduates received the Outstanding Thesis Award, and another received the AIPS Florey Next Generation Award.
I have published consistently in prominent journals, including Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, BRAIN, Biological Psychiatry, and SLEEP. To date, I have authored over 100 academic articles, which have been widely cited, and I have secured competitive funding from NHMRC, MRFF, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Shake It Up Australia Foundation, the US National Institutes of Health, and the Alzheimer’s Association. My work has been recognised with several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship from the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation, the 2021 Enrico Greppi International Migraine Research Award, and the 2024 Adele Green Emerging Leader Award from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. I am also a Global Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, a program by the University of California San Francisco and Trinity College Dublin, which supports my commitment to promoting brain health equity worldwide.
Availability
- Associate Professor Miguel Rentería is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Genomics, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
- Doctor of Philosophy of Genetics, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Coursework) of Public Policy, University of Oxford
Works
Search Professor Miguel Rentería’s works on UQ eSpace
2019
Conference Publication
Complex-Traits Genetics Virtual Lab: A community-driven web platform for post-GWAS analyses
Cuéllar-Partida, Gabriel, Lundberg, Mischa, Campos-González, Adrian I., Kho, Pik Fang, D’Urso, Shannon, Hwang, Liang-Dar, Ngo, Trung Thanh and Rentería, Miguel E. (2019). Complex-Traits Genetics Virtual Lab: A community-driven web platform for post-GWAS analyses. American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 69th Annual Meeting, Houston, TX United States, 15–19 October 2019.
2019
Journal Article
Half the genetic variance in vitamin D concentration is shared with skin colour and sun exposure genes
Mitchell, Brittany L., Zhu, Gu, Medland, Sarah E., Renteria, Miguel. E., Eyles, Darryl W., Grasby, Katrina L., McGrath, John J. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2019). Half the genetic variance in vitamin D concentration is shared with skin colour and sun exposure genes. Behavior Genetics, 49 (4), 386-398. doi: 10.1007/s10519-019-09954-x
2019
Conference Publication
Examining the shared genetics between educational attainment and depression: results from the Australian Genetics of Depression Study
Mitchell, Brittany, Renteria, Miguel E., Byrne, Enda, Conde, Lucia Colodro, Han, Xikun, Medland, Sarah E., Wray, Naomi and Martin, Nick (2019). Examining the shared genetics between educational attainment and depression: results from the Australian Genetics of Depression Study. 27th World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Los Angeles, United States, 26-31 October 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.07.172
2019
Conference Publication
Dissecting the genetic architecture of chronic pain using CTG-VL — Complex-Traits Genetics Virtual Lab
Lundberg, Mischa, Campos, Adrian, Rentería, Miguel, Ngo, Trung and Cuéllar-Partida, Gabriel (2019). Dissecting the genetic architecture of chronic pain using CTG-VL — Complex-Traits Genetics Virtual Lab. 49th Annual Meeting of the Behavior Genetics Association, Stockholm, Sweden, 26–29 June 2019. New York, NY United States: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/s10519-019-09973-8
2018
Journal Article
Ethical issues in susceptibility genetic testing for late-onset neurodegenerative diseases
Manrique de Lara, Amaranta, Soto-Gómez, Liliana, Núñez-Acosta, Elisa, Saruwatari-Zavala, Garbiñe and Rentería, Miguel E. (2018). Ethical issues in susceptibility genetic testing for late-onset neurodegenerative diseases. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 180 (8), 609-621. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32699
2018
Journal Article
Neuroimaging studies of suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-injury in psychiatric patients: a systematic review
Dominguez-Baleon, Carmen, Gutierrez-Mondragon, Luis F., Campos-Gonzalez, Adrian I. and Renteria, Miguel E. (2018). Neuroimaging studies of suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-injury in psychiatric patients: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9 (OCT) 500, 500. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00500
2018
Journal Article
Testing associations between cannabis use and subcortical volumes in two large population-based samples
Gillespie, Nathan A., Neale, Michael C., Bates, Timothy C., Eyler, Lisa T., Fennema-Notestine, Christine, Vassileva, Jasmin, Lyons, Michael J., Prom-Wormley, Elizabeth C., McMahon, Katie L., Thompson, Paul M., de Zubicaray, Greig., Hickie, Ian B., McGrath, John J., Strike, Lachlan T., Rentería, Miguel E., Panizzon, Matthew S., Martin, Nicholas G., Franz, Carol E., Kremen, William S. and Wright, Margaret J. (2018). Testing associations between cannabis use and subcortical volumes in two large population-based samples. Addiction, 113 (9), 1661-1672. doi: 10.1111/add.14252
2018
Conference Publication
E-mental health transdiagnostic stratification: A cloud-based platform for multi-phenotyping and genetic analyses
Ngo, Trung T. , Rentería, Miguel E. and Cuéllar-Partida, Gabriel (2018). E-mental health transdiagnostic stratification: A cloud-based platform for multi-phenotyping and genetic analyses. 40th Annual Society for Mental Health Research Conference, Noosa Heads, QLD Australia, 28–30 November 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
Advancing a neurogenomics oscillator model of bistable affective-cognitive states, behaviour and disorders
Ngo, Trung T. , Rentería, Miguel E. and Cuéllar-Partida, Gabriel (2018). Advancing a neurogenomics oscillator model of bistable affective-cognitive states, behaviour and disorders. 5th Annual Australasian Society for Social & Affective Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane QLD, Australia, 20–21 June 2018.
2017
Journal Article
Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex
Guadalupe, Tulio, Mathias, Samuel R., vanErp, Theo G. M., Whelan, Christopher D., Zwiers, Marcel P., Abe, Yoshinari, Abramovic, Lucija, Agartz, Ingrid, Andreassen, Ole A., Arias-Vásquez, Alejandro, Aribisala, Benjamin S., Armstrong, Nicola J., Arolt, Volker, Artiges, Eric, Ayesa-Arriola, Rosa, Baboyan, Vatche G., Banaschewski, Tobias, Barker, Gareth, Bastin, Mark E., Baune, Bernhard T., Blangero, John, Bokde, Arun L.W., Boedhoe, Premika S.W., Bose, Anushree, Brem, Silvia, Brodaty, Henry, Bromberg, Uli, Brooks, Samantha, Büchel, Christian ... Francks, Clyde (2017). Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 11 (5), 1497-1514. doi: 10.1007/s11682-016-9629-z
2017
Journal Article
Subcortical brain structure and suicidal behaviour in major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis from the ENIGMA-MDD working group
Renteria, M. E., Schmaal, L., Hibar, D. P., Couvy-Duchesne, B., Strike, L. T., Mills, N. T., de Zubicaray, G. I., McMahon, K. L., Medland, S. E., Gillespie, N. A., Hatton, S. N., Lagopoulos, J., Veltman, D. J., van der Wee, N., van Erp, T. G. M., Wittfeld, K., Grabe, H. J., Block, A., Hegenscheid, K., Voelzke, H., Veer, I. M., Walter, H., Schnell, K., Schramm, E., Normann, C., Schoepf, D., Konrad, C., Zurowski, B., Godlewska, B. R. ... Hickie, I. B. (2017). Subcortical brain structure and suicidal behaviour in major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis from the ENIGMA-MDD working group. Translational Psychiatry, 7 (5) e1116, e1116-e1116. doi: 10.1038/tp.2017.84
2017
Journal Article
Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume
Hibar, Derrek P., Adams, Hieab H. H., Jahanshad, Neda, Chauhan, Ganesh, Stein, Jason L., Hofer, Edith, Renteria, Miguel E., Bis, Joshua C., Arias-Vasquez, Alejandro, Ikram, M. Kamran, Desrivieres, Sylvane, Vernooij, Meike W., Abramovic, Lucija, Alhusaini, Saud, Amin, Najaf, Andersson, Micael, Arfanakis, Konstantinos, Aribisala, Benjamin S., Armstrong, Nicola J., Athanasiu, Lavinia, Axelsson, Tomas, Beecham, Ashley H., Beiser, Alexa, Bernard, Manon, Blanton, Susan H., Bohlken, Marc M., Boks, Marco P., Bralten, Janita, Brickman, Adam M. ... Ikram, M. Arfan (2017). Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume. Nature Communications, 8 (1) 13624, 13624. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13624
2017
Conference Publication
GWAS of complementary perceptual endophenotype measures: How do they rate?
Ngo, Trung T., Cuéllar-Partida, Gabriel, Couvy-Duchesne, Baptiste, Rentería, Miguel E., Colodro Conde, Lucia, Gordon, Scott D., Hansell, Narelle K., Medland, Sarah E., Wright, Margaret J. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2017). GWAS of complementary perceptual endophenotype measures: How do they rate?. Australasian Society for Bipolar & Depressive Disorders (ASBDD) 2017 Conference, Deakin Edge, Melbourne, 15–17 September 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Binocular rivalry rate as a novel candidate endophenotype for bipolar disorder
Trung Ngo,, Renteria, Miguel E., Conde, Lucia Colodro, Couvy-Duchesne, Baptiste, Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel, Hansen, Narelle K., Medland, Sarah E., Miller, Steven M., Wright, Margaret J. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2017). Binocular rivalry rate as a novel candidate endophenotype for bipolar disorder. 23rd Annual World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (WCPG), Toronto, Canada, 16-20 October 2015. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
2017
Conference Publication
A perceptual endophenotype for mental illness: Characterising normal genetic variation in the trait
Cuéllar-Partida, Gabriel, Ngo, Trung T., Couvy-Duchesne, Baptiste, Rentería, Miguel E., Colodro Conde, Lucia, Gordon, Scott D., Hansell, Narelle K., Medland, Sarah E., Wright, Margaret J. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2017). A perceptual endophenotype for mental illness: Characterising normal genetic variation in the trait. BLiSS 2017 — Brisbane Life Science ECR Symposium, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, 24 November 2017.
2016
Journal Article
Novel genetic loci underlying human intracranial volume identified through genome-wide association
Adams, Hieab H. H., Hibar, Derrek P., Chouraki, Vincent, Stein, Jason L., Nyquist, Paul A., Renteria, Miguel E., Trompet, Stella, Arias-Vasquez, Alejandro, Seshadri, Sudha, Desrivieres, Sylvane, Beecham, Ashley H., Jahanshad, Neda, Wittfeld, Katharina, Van der Lee, Sven J., Abramovic, Lucija, Alhusaini, Saud, Amin, Najaf, Andersson, Micael, Arfanakis, Konstantinos, Aribisala, Benjamin S., Armstrong, Nicola J., Athanasiu, Lavinia, Axelsson, Tomas, Beiser, Alexa, Bernard, Manon, Bis, Joshua C., Blanken, Laura M. E., Blanton, SusanH., Bohlken, Marc M. ... Thompson, Paul M. (2016). Novel genetic loci underlying human intracranial volume identified through genome-wide association. Nature Neuroscience, 19 (12), 1569-1582. doi: 10.1038/nn.4398
2016
Journal Article
Sweet taste perception is associated with body mass index at the phenotypic and genotypic level
Hwang, Liang-Dar, Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel, Ong, Jue-Sheng, Breslin, Paul A. S., Reed, Danielle R., Macgregor, Stuart, Gharahkhani, Puya, Martin, Nicholas G. and Renteria, Miguel E. (2016). Sweet taste perception is associated with body mass index at the phenotypic and genotypic level. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 19 (5), 465-471. doi: 10.1017/thg.2016.60
2016
Journal Article
The association of genetic predisposition to depressive symptoms with non-suicidal and suicidal self-injuries
Maciejewski, Dominique F., Renteria, Miguel E., Abdellaoui, Abdel, Medland, Sarah E., Few, Lauren R., Gordon, Scott D., Madden, Pamela A. F., Montgomery, Grant, Trull, Timothy J., Heath, Andrew C., Statham, Dixie J., Martin, Nicholas G., Zietsch, Brendan P. and Verweij, Karin J. H. (2016). The association of genetic predisposition to depressive symptoms with non-suicidal and suicidal self-injuries. Behavior Genetics, 47 (1), 1-8. doi: 10.1007/s10519-016-9809-z
2016
Journal Article
Early developmental gene enhancers affect subcortical volumes in the adult human brain
Becker, Martin, Guadalupe, Tulio, Franke, Barbara, Hibar, Derrek P., Renteria, Miguel E., Stein, Jason L., Thompson, Paul M., Francks, Clyde, Vernes, Sonja C. and Fisher, Simon E. (2016). Early developmental gene enhancers affect subcortical volumes in the adult human brain. Human Brain Mapping, 37 (5), 1788-1800. doi: 10.1002/hbm.23136
2016
Journal Article
Cortical abnormalities in adults and adolescents with major depression based on brain scans from 20 cohorts worldwide in the ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder Working Group
Schmaal, L., Hibar, D. P., Samann, P. G., Hall, G. B., Baune, B. T., Jahanshad, N., Cheung, J. W., van Erp, T. G. M., Bos, D., Ikram, M. A., Vernooij, M. W., Niessen, W. J., Tiemeier, H., Hofman, A., Wittfeld, K., Grabe, H. J., Janowitz, D., Bulow, R., Selonke, M., Volzke, H., Grotegerd, D., Dannlowski, U., Arolt, V., Opel, N., Heindel, W., Kugel, H., Hoehn, D., Czisch, M., Couvy-Duchesne, B. ... Veltman, D. J. (2016). Cortical abnormalities in adults and adolescents with major depression based on brain scans from 20 cohorts worldwide in the ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder Working Group. Molecular Psychiatry, 22 (6), 900-909. doi: 10.1038/mp.2016.60
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Miguel Rentería is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Monogenic Parkinson's disease among individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in Australia and Mexico
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic architecture of differences in symptomatology and treatment response in major depressive disorder
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Sarah Medland, Professor Nick Martin
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic Aetiology of Cognitive and Speech-Related Features in Parkinson's Disease
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
From Genes to Brain Networks: AI Approaches to Understanding the Genetic Foundations of Brain Functionality in Health and Disease
Associate Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the genetic aetiology of age-related diseases in diverse populations
Associate Advisor
-
Master Philosophy
Application of machine learning techniques on longitudinal fitness tracker data to augment disease risk prediction.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Quan Nguyen
-
Doctor Philosophy
Bridging gaps on the genetics of age-related disorder among under-represented populations
Associate Advisor
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Elucidating the genetic architecture of neuropsychiatric phenotypes and other complex human traits
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nick Martin
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding psychiatric disease: From aetiology to outcomes and treatment response
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nick Martin
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Miguel Rentería directly for media enquiries about:
- Human genetics
- Parkinson's disease
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