Overview
Background
Naomi Wray is the Michael Davys Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford. She holds an appointment at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) within the University of Queensland. She joined UQ Queensland Brain Institute in 2011 moving to the IMB in 2015. She was Head of the Centre for Population & Disease Genomics within IMB 2018-2023. Her Oxford appointment started in 2023.
Her research focuses on development and application of quantitative genetics and genomics methodologies across complex diseases, disorders and traits, but particularly psychiatric-related traits.
She is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Leadership Fellow, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science. In 2020 she was awarded the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Award for Leadership in Basic Science and the 2021 International Society of Psychiatric Genetics Ming Tsuang Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a Clarivate Highly Cited researcher.
She was Director of the Program in Complex Trait Genomics (PCTG) funded as an NHMRC Program Grant 2017-2022. She plays a key role in the International Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and established the sporadic ALS Australia systems genomics consortium (SALSA) funded by the MND Research Australia IceBucket Challenge and FightMND. She is a co-investigator on the Australian Genetics of Depression Study (AGDS) and is currently launching the AGDS-Cello project focussed on establishing a cell line resource from participants with a detailed history of anti-depressant use and response measures. She is part of an NHMRC Synergy (2023-2027) "Rhythms and blues: Personalising care for body clock dysfunction in mood disorders".
She is secretary of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, and is on the editorial advisory boards of JAMA Psychiatry, Neuron, Royal Society Open and Research Directions: Depression.
Availability
- Professor Naomi Wray is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh
Research interests
-
Genetics of complex genetic traits, disease and disorders
Quantitative genetics methodology Genetics of Psychiatric Disorder Genetics of Motor Neurone Disease Genetics of Cognitive Ageing Systems Genomics
Works
Search Professor Naomi Wray’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
Interactions between the lipidome and genetic and environmental factors in autism
Yap, Chloe X., Henders, Anjali K., Alvares, Gail A., Giles, Corey, Huynh, Kevin, Nguyen, Anh, Wallace, Leanne, McLaren, Tiana, Yang, Yuanhao, Hernandez, Leanna M., Gandal, Michael J., Hansell, Narelle K., Cleary, Dominique, Grove, Rachel, Hafekost, Claire, Harun, Alexis, Holdsworth, Helen, Jellett, Rachel, Khan, Feroza, Lawson, Lauren P., Leslie, Jodie, Levis Frenk, Mira, Masi, Anne, Mathew, Nisha E., Muniandy, Melanie, Nothard, Michaela, Miller, Jessica L., Nunn, Lorelle, Strike, Lachlan T. ... The Busselton Health Study Investigators (2023). Interactions between the lipidome and genetic and environmental factors in autism. Nature Medicine, 29 (4), 936-949. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02271-1
2023
Journal Article
Timing of antidepressant discontinuation during pregnancy and postpartum psychiatric outcomes in Denmark and Norway
Trinh, Nhung T. H., Munk-Olsen, Trine, Wray, Naomi R., Bergink, Veerle, Nordeng, Hedvig M. E., Lupattelli, Angela and Liu, Xiaoqin (2023). Timing of antidepressant discontinuation during pregnancy and postpartum psychiatric outcomes in Denmark and Norway. JAMA Psychiatry, 80 (5) yoi230003, 441-450. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.0041
2023
Journal Article
An overview of DNA methylation-derived trait score methods and applications
Nabais, Marta F., Gadd, Danni A., Hannon, Eilis, Mill, Jonathan, McRae, Allan F. and Wray, Naomi R. (2023). An overview of DNA methylation-derived trait score methods and applications. Genome Biology, 24 (1) 28, 28. doi: 10.1186/s13059-023-02855-7
2023
Journal Article
Genetic correlates of vitamin D-binding protein and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in neonatal dried blood spots
Albiñana, Clara, Zhu, Zhihong, Borbye-Lorenzen, Nis, Boelt, Sanne Grundvad, Cohen, Arieh S., Skogstrand, Kristin, Wray, Naomi R., Revez, Joana A, Privé, Florian, Petersen, Liselotte V., Bulik, Cynthia M., Plana-Ripoll, Oleguer, Musliner, Katherine L., Agerbo, Esben, Børglum, Anders D., Hougaard, David M., Nordentoft, Merete, Werge, Thomas, Mortensen, Preben Bo, Vilhjálmsson, Bjarni J. and McGrath, John J. (2023). Genetic correlates of vitamin D-binding protein and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in neonatal dried blood spots. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 852, 1-16. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36392-5
2023
Journal Article
Significance tests for R2 of out-of-sample prediction using polygenic scores
Momin, Md. Moksedul, Lee, Soohyun, Wray, Naomi R. and Lee, S. Hong (2023). Significance tests for R2 of out-of-sample prediction using polygenic scores. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 110 (2), 349-358. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.01.004
2023
Journal Article
Estimation and implications of the genetic architecture of fasting and non-fasting blood glucose
Qiao, Zhen, Sidorenko, Julia, Revez, Joana A., Xue, Angli, Lu, Xueling, Pärna, Katri, Snieder, Harold, Visscher, Peter M., Wray, Naomi R., Yengo, Loic and Lifelines Cohort Study (2023). Estimation and implications of the genetic architecture of fasting and non-fasting blood glucose. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 451, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36013-1
2023
Journal Article
mBAT-combo: a more powerful test to detect gene-trait associations from GWAS data
Li, Ang, Liu, Shouye, Bakshi, Andrew, Jiang, Longda, Chen, Wenhan, Zheng, Zhili, Sullivan, Patrick F., Visscher, Peter M., Wray, Naomi R., Yang, Jian and Zeng, Jian (2023). mBAT-combo: a more powerful test to detect gene-trait associations from GWAS data. American Journal of Human Genetics, 110 (1), 30-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2022.12.006
2023
Journal Article
Polygenic risk scores and the prediction of onset of mood and psychotic disorders in adolescents and young adults
Scott, Jan, Crouse, Jacob J., Medland, Sarah, Byrne, Enda, Iorfino, Frank, Mitchell, Brittany, Gillespie, Nathan A., Martin, Nicholas, Wray, Naomi and Hickie, Ian B. (2023). Polygenic risk scores and the prediction of onset of mood and psychotic disorders in adolescents and young adults. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 18 (6), 397-405. doi: 10.1111/eip.13472
2023
Other Outputs
Skeletal muscle and blood RNA-seq counts in motor neurone disease cases and controls
Anna Freydenzon, Allan F. McRaee, Shyuan Ngo, Naomi R. Wray, Leanne Wallace, Anjali K. Henders, Pamela A. McCombe, Robert D. Henderson and Frederik J. Steyn (2023). Skeletal muscle and blood RNA-seq counts in motor neurone disease cases and controls. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/b722f1f
2022
Journal Article
Lithium carbonate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients homozygous for the C-allele at SNP rs12608932 in UNC13A: protocol for a confirmatory, randomized, group-sequential, event-driven, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Willemse, Sean W., Roes, Kit C. B., Van Damme, Philip, Hardiman, Orla, Ingre, Caroline, Povedano, Monica, Wray, Naomi R., Gijzen, Marleen, de Pagter, Mirjam S., Demaegd, Koen C., Janse, Annemarie F. C., Vink, Roel G., Sleutjes, Boudewijn T. H. M., Chiò, Adriano, Corcia, Philippe, Reviers, Evy, Al-Chalabi, Ammar, Kiernan, Matthew C., van den Berg, Leonard H., van Es, Michael A. and van Eijk, Ruben P. A. (2022). Lithium carbonate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients homozygous for the C-allele at SNP rs12608932 in UNC13A: protocol for a confirmatory, randomized, group-sequential, event-driven, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Trials, 23 (1) 978. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06906-5
2022
Journal Article
Phenotypic and genetic factors associated with donation of DNA and consent to record linkage for prescription history in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study
Gomez, Lina, Díaz-Torres, Santiago, Colodro-Conde, Lucía, Garcia-Marin, Luis M., Yap, Chloe X., Byrne, Enda M., Yengo, Loic, Lind, Penelope A., Wray, Naomi R., Medland, Sarah E., Hickie, Ian B., Lupton, Michelle K., Rentería, Miguel E., Martin, Nicholas G. and Campos, Adrian I. (2022). Phenotypic and genetic factors associated with donation of DNA and consent to record linkage for prescription history in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 273 (6), 1359-1368. doi: 10.1007/s00406-022-01527-0
2022
Journal Article
Parsimonious model for mass-univariate vertexwise analysis
Couvy-Duchesne, Baptiste, Zhang, Futao, Kemper, Kathryn E., Sidorenko, Julia, Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M., Colliot, Olivier and Yang, Jian (2022). Parsimonious model for mass-univariate vertexwise analysis. Journal of Medical Imaging, 9 (5) ARTN 052404, 1-19. doi: 10.1117/1.JMI.9.5.052404
2022
Journal Article
Author Correction: From Mendel to quantitative genetics in the genome era: the scientific legacy of W. G. Hill
Charlesworth, Brian, Goddard, Michael E., Meyer, Karin, Visscher, Peter M., Weir, Bruce S. and Wray, Naomi R. (2022). Author Correction: From Mendel to quantitative genetics in the genome era: the scientific legacy of W. G. Hill. Nature Genetics, 54 (9), 1448-1448. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01160-6
2022
Journal Article
Clinical, demographic, and genetic risk factors of treatment‐attributed suicidality in >10,000 Australian adults taking antidepressants
Campos, Adrian I., Byrne, Enda M., Iorfino, Frank, Fabbri, Chiara, Hickie, Ian B., Lewis, Cathryn M., Wray, Naomi R., Medland, Sarah E., Rentería, Miguel E. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2022). Clinical, demographic, and genetic risk factors of treatment‐attributed suicidality in >10,000 Australian adults taking antidepressants. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 189 (6), 196-206. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32913
2022
Journal Article
From Mendel to quantitative genetics in the genome era: the scientific legacy of W. G. Hill
Charlesworth, Brian, Goddard, Michael E., Meyer, Karin, Visscher, Peter M., Weir, Bruce S. and Wray, Naomi R. (2022). From Mendel to quantitative genetics in the genome era: the scientific legacy of W. G. Hill. Nature Genetics, 54 (7), 934-939. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01103-1
2022
Journal Article
Lifetime prevalence and correlates of perinatal depression in a case-cohort study of depression
Kiewa, Jacqueline, Meltzer-Brody, Samantha, Milgrom, Jeannette, Bennett, Elizabeth, Mackle, Tracey, Guintivano, Jerry, Hickie, Ian B, Colodro-Conde, Lucia, Medland, Sarah E, Martin, Nick, Wray, Naomi and Byrne, Enda (2022). Lifetime prevalence and correlates of perinatal depression in a case-cohort study of depression. BMJ Open, 12 (8) e059300, 1-7. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059300
2022
Journal Article
Association between DNA methylation variability and self-reported exposure to heavy metals
Freydenzon, Anna, Nabais, Marta F., Lin, Tian, Williams, Kelly L., Wallace, Leanne, Henders, Anjali K., Blair, Ian P., Wray, Naomi R., Pamphlett, Roger and McRae, Allan F. (2022). Association between DNA methylation variability and self-reported exposure to heavy metals. Scientific Reports, 12 (1) 10582, 1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13892-w
2022
Journal Article
Comprehensive genetic analysis of the human lipidome identifies loci associated with lipid homeostasis with links to coronary artery disease
Cadby, Gemma, Giles, Corey, Melton, Phillip E., Huynh, Kevin, Mellett, Natalie A., Duong, Thy, Nguyen, Anh, Cinel, Michelle, Smith, Alex, Olshansky, Gavriel, Wang, Tingting, Brozynska, Marta, Inouye, Mike, McCarthy, Nina S., Ariff, Amir, Hung, Joseph, Hui, Jennie, Beilby, John, Dubé, Marie-Pierre, Watts, Gerald F., Shah, Sonia, Wray, Naomi R., Lim, Wei Ling Florence, Chatterjee, Pratishtha, Martins, Ian, Laws, Simon M., Porter, Tenielle, Vacher, Michael, Bush, Ashley I. ... Moses, Eric K. (2022). Comprehensive genetic analysis of the human lipidome identifies loci associated with lipid homeostasis with links to coronary artery disease. Nature Communications, 13 (1) 3124, 1-17. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30875-7
2022
Journal Article
Identifying the Common Genetic Basis of Antidepressant Response
Pain, Oliver, Hodgson, Karen, Trubetskoy, Vassily, Ripke, Stephan, Marshe, Victoria S., Adams, Mark J., Byrne, Enda M., Campos, Adrian I., Carrillo-Roa, Tania, Cattaneo, Annamaria, Als, Thomas D., Souery, Daniel, Dernovsek, Mojca Z., Fabbri, Chiara, Hayward, Caroline, Henigsberg, Neven, Hauser, Joanna, Kennedy, James L., Lenze, Eric J., Lewis, Glyn, Müller, Daniel J., Martin, Nicholas G., Mulsant, Benoit H., Mors, Ole, Perroud, Nader, Porteous, David J., Rentería, Miguel E., Reynolds, Charles F., Rietschel, Marcella ... Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (2022). Identifying the Common Genetic Basis of Antidepressant Response. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 2 (2), 115-126. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.07.008
2022
Journal Article
Mapping genomic loci implicates genes and synaptic biology in schizophrenia
Trubetskoy, Vassily, Pardiñas, Antonio F, Qi, Ting, Panagiotaropoulou, Georgia, Awasthi, Swapnil, Bigdeli, Tim B, Bryois, Julien, Chen, Chia-Yen, Dennison, Charlotte A, Hall, Lynsey S, Lam, Max, Watanabe, Kyoko, Frei, Oleksandr, Ge, Tian, Harwood, Janet C, Koopmans, Frank, Magnusson, Sigurdur, Richards, Alexander L, Sidorenko, Julia, Wu, Yang, Zeng, Jian, Grove, Jakob, Kim, Minsoo, Li, Zhiqiang, Voloudakis, Georgios, Zhang, Wen, Adams, Mark, Agartz, Ingrid, Atkinson, Elizabeth G ... Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (2022). Mapping genomic loci implicates genes and synaptic biology in schizophrenia. Nature, 604 (7906), 502-508. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04434-5
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Naomi Wray is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
ELUCIDATING LIFESTYLE AND GENETIC FACTORS UNDERLYING DEPRESSION HETEROGENEITY AND TREATMENT RESPONSE
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Enda Byrne
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetics of childhood onset psychiatric symptoms, their persistence and comorbidity with other traits
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Enda Byrne
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding cellular and molecular heterogeneity in endometriosis using multi-omics data
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sally Mortlock, Dr Allan McRae
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic architecture and evolution of complex traits across populations in humans
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Visscher, Dr Fleur Garton, Dr Jian Zeng
Completed supervision
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Studying the effects of DNA methylation variation across neurodegenerative disorders
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Allan McRae
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic analyses of complex traits using biobank data
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Visscher
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
A Complex Trait Genomics Approach to Investigating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Allan McRae
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
The Genetic Architecture of Psychiatric Disorders
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Visscher
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Cytokines and Inflammatory Markers in Depression in Adolescents
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gerard Byrne, Professor James Scott, Professor Nick Martin
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Using genomic data to advance understanding of heart failure aetiology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sonia Shah
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Development and application of statistical methods to identify genes and cell types associated with complex traits
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jian Zeng
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Complement Modulation of Peripheral Immunity in Motor Neurone Disease and Huntington's Disease
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr John Lee, Professor Trent Woodruff
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
The Genomics of Perinatal Depression
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Enda Byrne
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the influence of genetics and heritability on the heterogeneity of ADHD presentations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Sarah Medland
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Systems biology of motor neurone disease
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Shyuan Ngo, Dr Allan McRae
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Multi-omics data offer systemic insights into autism
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gerald Holtmann, Honorary Professor Jake Gratten
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic influences on substance use behaviour, substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Sarah Medland, Professor Nick Martin, Dr Lucia Colodro-Conde
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Improving fine-mapping methodology using DNA methylation as a model trait
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Visscher, Dr Allan McRae
-
2018
Master Philosophy
Integrating genome-wide association study data with gene expression to understand complex traits and common diseases
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Allan McRae, Honorary Professor Jake Gratten
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Professor Naomi Wray's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: