
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:
- Not available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh
Research interests
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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
2010
Journal Article
Comparing apples and oranges: Equating the power of case-control and quantitative trait association studies
Yang, Jian, Wray, Naomi R. and Visscher, Peter M. (2010). Comparing apples and oranges: Equating the power of case-control and quantitative trait association studies. Genetic Epidemiology, 34 (3), 254-257. doi: 10.1002/gepi.20456
2010
Journal Article
Multi-locus models of genetic risk of disease
Wray, Naomi R. and Goddard, Michael E. (2010). Multi-locus models of genetic risk of disease. Genome Medicine, 2 (2) 10, 10.1-10.13. doi: 10.1186/gm131
2010
Journal Article
The Genetic Interpretation of Area under the ROC Curve in Genomic Profiling
Wray, Naomi R., Yang, Jian, Goddard, Michael E. and Visscher, Peter M. (2010). The Genetic Interpretation of Area under the ROC Curve in Genomic Profiling. PLoS Genetics, 6 (2) e1000864, e1000864.1-e1000864.9. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000864
2010
Journal Article
Narrowing the Boundaries of the Genetic Architecture of Schizophrenia
Wray, Naomi R. and Visscher, Peter M. (2010). Narrowing the Boundaries of the Genetic Architecture of Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 36 (1), 14-23. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbp137
2010
Conference Publication
A study of genetic influence on SPHERE (somatic and psychological health report) measures collected in adolescents and young adults
Hansell, Narelle K., Hickie, Ian B., Davenport, Tracey A., Hadzi-Pavlovic, Dusan, Wray, Naomi R., Martin, Nicholas G. and Wright, Margaret J. (2010). A study of genetic influence on SPHERE (somatic and psychological health report) measures collected in adolescents and young adults. 40th Annual Meeting of Behavior Genetics Association, Pennsylvania, PA, U.S.A., May 2009. New York, NY, U.S.A.: Springer New York LLC. doi: 10.1007/s10519-010-9392-7
2010
Journal Article
Genetic Differences between Five European Populations
Moskvina, V., Smith, M., Ivanov, D., Blackwood, D., St Clair, D., Hultman, C., Toncheva, D., Gill, M., Corvin, A., O’Dushlaine, C., Morris, D. W., Purcell, S., Sullivan, P., Pato, C., Pato, M. T., Sklar, P., Wray, N. R, Holmans, P., O’Donovan, M..C., Owen, M. and Kirov, G. (2010). Genetic Differences between Five European Populations. Human Heredity, 70 (2), 141-149. doi: 10.1159/000313854
2010
Journal Article
Choosing the best tools for comparative analyses of texts
Mollet, Eugene, Wray, Alison, Fitzpatrick, Tess, Wray, Naomi R. and Wright, Margaret J. (2010). Choosing the best tools for comparative analyses of texts. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 15 (4), 429-473. doi: 10.1075/ijcl.15.4.01mol
2009
Journal Article
Do 5HTTLPR and stress interact in risk for depression and suicidality? Item response analyses of a large sample
William L. Coventry, Michael R. James, Lindon J. Eaves, Scott D. Gordon, Nathan A. Gillespie, Leanne Ryan, Andrew C. Heath, Grant W. Montgomery, Nicholas G. Martin and Naomi R. Wray (2009). Do 5HTTLPR and stress interact in risk for depression and suicidality? Item response analyses of a large sample. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 153b (3), 757-765. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31044
2009
Conference Publication
Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Co-morbidity Between Depression, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Social Phobia: A Twin Study
Mosing, Miriam A., Gordon, Scott D., Medland, Sarah E., Statham, Dixie J., Nelson, Elliot C., Heath, Andrew C., Martin, Nicholas G. and Wray, Naomi R. (2009). Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Co-morbidity Between Depression, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Social Phobia: A Twin Study. United States: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. doi: 10.1002/da.20611
2009
Journal Article
Estimating Effects and Making Predictions from Genome-Wide Marker Data
Goddard, Michael E., Wray, Naomi R., Verbyla, Klara and Visscher, Peter M. (2009). Estimating Effects and Making Predictions from Genome-Wide Marker Data. Statistical Science, 24 (4), 517-529. doi: 10.1214/09-STS306
2009
Journal Article
Accurate, Large-Scale Genotyping of 5HTTLPR and Flanking Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in an Association Study of Depression, Anxiety, and Personality Measures
Naomi R. Wray, Michael R. James, Scott D. Gordon, Troy Dumenil, Leanne Ryan, William L. Coventry, Dixie J. Statham, Michele L. Pergadia, Pamela A.F. Madden, Andrew C. Heath, Grant W. Montgomery and Nicholas G. Martin (2009). Accurate, Large-Scale Genotyping of 5HTTLPR and Flanking Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in an Association Study of Depression, Anxiety, and Personality Measures. Biological Psychiatry, 66 (5), 468-476. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.04.030
2009
Journal Article
Phenotypic and discordant-monozygotic analyses of stress and perceived social support as antecedents to or sequelae of risk for depression
Coventry, William L., Medland, Sarah E., Wray, Naomi R., Thorsteinsson, Einar B., Heath, Andrew C. and Byrne, Brain (2009). Phenotypic and discordant-monozygotic analyses of stress and perceived social support as antecedents to or sequelae of risk for depression. Twin Research And Human Genetics, 12 (5), 469-488. doi: 10.1375/twin.12.5.469
2009
Journal Article
Genomewide Association Studies: History, Rationale, and Prospects for Psychiatric Disorders
Psychiatric GWAS Consortium Coordinating Committee, Martin, N., Wray, N., Mowry, B. and Holliday, E. (2009). Genomewide Association Studies: History, Rationale, and Prospects for Psychiatric Disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166 (5), 540-556. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.08091354
2009
Journal Article
Genome-wide association for major depressive disorder: a possible role for the presynaptic protein piccolo
Sullivan, P. F., de Geus, E. J. C., Willemsen, G., James, M. R., Smit, J. H., Zandbelt, T., Martin, N. G., Wray, N. R., Boomsma, D. I. and Penninx, B. W. J. H. (2009). Genome-wide association for major depressive disorder: a possible role for the presynaptic protein piccolo. Molecular Psychiatry, 14 (4), 359-375. doi: 10.1038/mp.2008.125
2009
Journal Article
Harnessing the information contained within genome-wide association studies to improve individual prediction of complex disease risk
Evans, David M., Visscher, Peter M. and Wray, Naomi R. (2009). Harnessing the information contained within genome-wide association studies to improve individual prediction of complex disease risk. Human Molecular Genetics, 18 (18), 3525-3531. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddp295
2009
Journal Article
Common polygenic variation contributes to risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
International Schizophrenia Consortium and Wray, Naomi (2009). Common polygenic variation contributes to risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Nature, 460 (7256), 748-752. doi: 10.1038/nature08185
2009
Conference Publication
Meta-analysis of genome-wide association results in > 10.000 individuals for the big five personality traits
de Moor, Marleen H. M., Boomsma, Dorret, I, de Geus, Eco J. C., Willemsen, Gonneke, Hottenga, Jouke-Jan, Distel, Marijn A., Abecasis, Goncalo R., Terracciano, Antonio, McCrae, Robert R., Costa, Paul T., Hartman, Catharina A., Spinhoven, Philip, Penninx, Brenda W., Esko, Tonu, Allik, Jueri, Realo, Anu, Metspalu, Andres, Hansell, Narelle K., Medland, Sarah E., Wray, Naomi R., Wright, Margie J., Martin, Nicholas G., Amin, Najaf, Aulchenko, Yurii S., Janssens, A. Cecile, Oostra, Ben A. and van Duijn, Cornelia M. (2009). Meta-analysis of genome-wide association results in > 10.000 individuals for the big five personality traits. 39th Annual Meeting of the Behavior Genetics Association, Mineapolis, MN, United States, 17-20 June 2009 . New York, NY, United States: Springer.
2008
Conference Publication
4. Use of monozygotic twins to investigate the relationship between 5HTTLPR genotype, depression and stressful life events: An application of Item Response Theory
Wray, Naomi R., Coventry, William L., James, Michael R., Montgomery, Grant W., Eaves, Lindon J. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2008). 4. Use of monozygotic twins to investigate the relationship between 5HTTLPR genotype, depression and stressful life events: An application of Item Response Theory.
2008
Book Chapter
Use of Monozygotic Twins to Investigate the Relationship between 5HTTLPR Genotype, Depression and Stressful Life Events: An Application of Item Response Theory
Wray, Naomi R., Coventry, William L., James, Michael R., Montgomery, Grant W., Eaves, Lindon J. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2008). Use of Monozygotic Twins to Investigate the Relationship between 5HTTLPR Genotype, Depression and Stressful Life Events: An Application of Item Response Theory. Genetic Effects on Environmental Vulnerability to Disease. (pp. 48-59) wiley. doi: 10.1002/9780470696781.ch4
2008
Journal Article
Suggestive linkage on chromosome 2, 8, and 17 for lifetime major depression
Middeldorp, CM, Sullivan, PF, Wray, NR, Hottenga, JJ, de Geus, EJC, van den Berg, M, Montgomery, GW, Coventry, WL, Statham, DJ, Andrews, G, Slagboom, PE, Boomsma, DI and Martin, NG (2008). Suggestive linkage on chromosome 2, 8, and 17 for lifetime major depression. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 150B (3), 352-358. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30817
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Naomi Wray is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Multi-Omic Analyses of a Clinical Trial Cohort of Young People at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Enda Byrne, Dr Allan McRae
-
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
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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
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
A Complex Trait Genomics Approach to Investigating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Allan McRae
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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
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Using genomic data to advance understanding of heart failure aetiology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sonia Shah
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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
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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
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Multi-omics data offer systemic insights into autism
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gerald Holtmann, Honorary Professor Jake Gratten
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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
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Improving fine-mapping methodology using DNA methylation as a model trait
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Visscher, Dr Allan McRae
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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
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