Overview
Background
David Evans is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Professor of Statistical Genetics at the University of Queensland Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He is a winner of the NHMRC Marshall and Warren Award.
He completed his PhD in Statistical Genetics at the University of Queensland in 2003, before undertaking a four-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford where he worked as part of the The International HapMap Consortium and co-led the analysis of four diseases within the first Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. In 2007 he moved to take up a Senior Lecturer position at the University of Bristol where he led much of the genome-wide association studies work in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). In 2013 he returned to take up a chair at the University of Queensland whilst continuing to lead an MRC Programme in statistical genetics at the University of Bristol.
His research interests include the genetic mapping of complex traits and diseases (including birthweight and other perinatal traits, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, sepsis, laterality) and the development of statistical methodologies in genetic epidemiology including approaches for gene mapping, individual risk prediction, causal modelling and dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits. He has a particular interest in Mendelian randomization and has used it and other causal methods to investigate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)- the idea that adverse intrauterine exposures lead to increased risk of disease in later life.
He is Academic Codirector at the NIH funded International Workshop on Statistical Genetics Methods and is faculty on the European Programme in Educational Epidemiology.
He is Associate Editor at the International Journal of Epidemiology and Behavior Genetics journals.
Availability
- Professor David Evans is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours), The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Mendelian randomization
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Genome-wide association studies
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Causal Modeling
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Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
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Laterality
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Sepsis
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Osteoporosis
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Ankylosing Spondylitis
Works
Search Professor David Evans’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Consistency, completeness and external validity of ethnicity recording in NHS primary care records: a cohort study in 25 million patients’ records at source using OpenSAFELY
Andrews, Colm D., Mathur, Rohini, Massey, Jon, Park, Robin, Curtis, Helen J., Hopcroft, Lisa, Mehrkar, Amir, Bacon, Seb, Hickman, George, Smith, Rebecca, Evans, David, Ward, Tom, Davy, Simon, Inglesby, Peter, Dillingham, Iain, Maude, Steven, O’Dwyer, Thomas, Butler-Cole, Ben F. C., Bridges, Lucy, Bates, Chris, Parry, John, Hester, Frank, Harper, Sam, Cockburn, Jonathan, Goldacre, Ben, MacKenna, Brian, Tomlinson, Laurie A., Walker, Alex J. and Hulme, William J. (2024). Consistency, completeness and external validity of ethnicity recording in NHS primary care records: a cohort study in 25 million patients’ records at source using OpenSAFELY. BMC Medicine, 22 (1) 288. doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03499-5
2024
Journal Article
Serum proteomic profiling of physical activity reveals CD300LG as a novel exerkine with a potential causal link to glucose homeostasis
Lee-Ødegård, Sindre, Hjorth, Marit, Olsen, Thomas, Moen, Gunn-Helen, Daubney, Emily, Evans, David M, Hevener, Andrea L, Lusis, Aldons J, Zhou, Mingqi, Seldin, Marcus M, Allayee, Hooman, Hilser, James, Viken, Jonas Krag, Gulseth, Hanne, Norheim, Frode, Drevon, Christian A and Birkeland, Kåre Inge (2024). Serum proteomic profiling of physical activity reveals CD300LG as a novel exerkine with a potential causal link to glucose homeostasis. eLife, 13. doi: 10.7554/elife.96535
2024
Journal Article
The impact of inversions across 33,924 families with rare disease from a national genome sequencing project
Pagnamenta, Alistair T., Yu, Jing, Walker, Susan, Noble, Alexandra J., Lord, Jenny, Dutta, Prasun, Hashim, Mona, Camps, Carme, Green, Hannah, Devaiah, Smrithi, Nashef, Lina, Parr, Jason, Fratter, Carl, Ibnouf Hussein, Rana, Lindsay, Sarah J., Lalloo, Fiona, Banos-Pinero, Benito, Evans, David, Mallin, Lucy, Waite, Adrian, Evans, Julie, Newman, Andrew, Allen, Zoe, Perez-Becerril, Cristina, Ryan, Gavin, Hart, Rachel, Taylor, John, Bedenham, Tina, Clement, Emma ... Taylor, Jenny C. (2024). The impact of inversions across 33,924 families with rare disease from a national genome sequencing project. American Journal of Human Genetics, 111 (6), 1140-1164. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.04.018
2024
Journal Article
Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: An observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform
Samuel, Miriam, Park, Robin Y., Eastwood, Sophie V., Eto, Fabiola, Morton, Caroline E., Stow, Daniel, Bacon, Sebastian, Mehrkar, Amir, Morley, Jessica, Dillingham, Iain, Inglesby, Peter, Hulme, William J., Khunti, Kamlesh, Mathur, Rohini, Valabhji, Jonathan, MacKenna, Brian, Finer, Sarah, Walker, Alex J., Green, Amelia C.A., Mehrkar, Amir, Schaffer, Andrea L., Brown, Andrew D., Goldacre, Ben, Butler-Cole, Ben F.C., MacKenna, Brian, Morton, Caroline E., Walters, Caroline E., Stables, Catherine L., Cunningham, Christine ... Hulme, William J. (2024). Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: An observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform. PLoS Medicine, 21 (6 June) e1004398, e1004398. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004398
2024
Journal Article
A note on modelling bidirectional feedback loops in Mendelian randomization studies
Hwang, Liang-Dar and Evans, David M. (2024). A note on modelling bidirectional feedback loops in Mendelian randomization studies. Behavior Genetics, 54 (4), 367-373. doi: 10.1007/s10519-024-10183-0
2024
Journal Article
Ribosomal DNA copy number variation associates with hematological profiles and renal function in the UK Biobank
Rodriguez-Algarra, Francisco, Evans, David M. and Rakyan, Vardhman K. (2024). Ribosomal DNA copy number variation associates with hematological profiles and renal function in the UK Biobank. Cell Genomics, 4 (6) 100562, 100562. doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100562
2024
Journal Article
A genome-wide association study provides insights into the genetic etiology of 57 essential and non-essential trace elements in humans
Moksnes, Marta R., Hansen, Ailin F., Wolford, Brooke N., Thomas, Laurent F., Rasheed, Humaira, Simić, Anica, Bhatta, Laxmi, Brantsæter, Anne Lise, Surakka, Ida, Zhou, Wei, Magnus, Per, Njølstad, Pål R., Andreassen, Ole A., Syversen, Tore, Zheng, Jie, Fritsche, Lars G., Evans, David M., Warrington, Nicole M., Nøst, Therese H., Åsvold, Bjørn Olav, Flaten, Trond Peder, Willer, Cristen J., Hveem, Kristian and Brumpton, Ben M. (2024). A genome-wide association study provides insights into the genetic etiology of 57 essential and non-essential trace elements in humans. Communications Biology, 7 (1) 432, 432. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06101-z
2024
Journal Article
Estimating disease heritability from complex pedigrees allowing for ascertainment and covariates
Speed, Doug and Evans, David M. (2024). Estimating disease heritability from complex pedigrees allowing for ascertainment and covariates. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 111 (4), 680-690. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.02.010
2024
Journal Article
Maternal plasma cortisol’s effect on offspring birth weight: a Mendelian Randomisation study
Thompson, W. D., Reynolds, R. M., Beaumont, R. N., Warrington, N. M., Tyrrell, J., Wood, A. R., Evans, D. M., McDonald, T. J., Hattersley, A. H., Freathy, R. M., Lawlor, D. A. and Borges, M. C. (2024). Maternal plasma cortisol’s effect on offspring birth weight: a Mendelian Randomisation study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24 (1) 65, 1-11. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06250-3
2023
Journal Article
Money, debt and finance: reclaiming the conditions of possibility in consumption research
Evans, David M. and Gregson, Nicky (2023). Money, debt and finance: reclaiming the conditions of possibility in consumption research. Sociology-The Journal of the British Sociological Association, 57 (6), 1491-1506. doi: 10.1177/00380385231156339
2023
Journal Article
Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth
Beaumont, Robin N., Flatley, Christopher, Vaudel, Marc, Wu, Xiaoping, Chen, Jing, Moen, Gunn-Helen, Skotte, Line, Helgeland, Oyvind, Sole-Navais, Pol, Banasik, Karina, Albinana, Clara, Ronkainen, Justiina, Fadista, Joao, Stinson, Sara Elizabeth, Trajanoska, Katerina, Wang, Carol A., Westergaard, David, Srinivasan, Sundararajan, Sanchez-Soriano, Carlos, Bilbao, Jose Ramon, Allard, Catherine, Groleau, Marika, Kuulasmaa, Teemu, Leirer, Daniel J., White, Frederique, Jacques, Pierre-Etienne, Cheng, Haoxiang, Hao, Ke, Andreassen, Ole A. ... Njolstad, Pal R. (2023). Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth. Nature Genetics, 55 (11), 1807-1819+. doi: 10.1038/s41588-023-01520-w
2023
Journal Article
Intrauterine growth and offspring neurodevelopmental traits: a Mendelian randomization analysis of the Norwegian mother, father and child cohort study (MoBa)
D’Urso, Shannon, Moen, Gunn-Helen, Hwang, Liang-Dar, Hannigan, Laurie J., Corfield, Elizabeth C., Ask, Helga, Johannson, Stefan, Njølstad, Pål Rasmus, Beaumont, Robin N., Freathy, Rachel M., Evans, David M. and Havdahl, Alexandra (2023). Intrauterine growth and offspring neurodevelopmental traits: a Mendelian randomization analysis of the Norwegian mother, father and child cohort study (MoBa). JAMA Psychiatry, 81 (2), 144-156. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.3872
2023
Journal Article
Partitioning genetic effects on birthweight at classical human leukocyte antigen loci into maternal and fetal components, using structural equation modelling
Wang, Geng, Warrington, Nicole M. and Evans, David M. (2023). Partitioning genetic effects on birthweight at classical human leukocyte antigen loci into maternal and fetal components, using structural equation modelling. International Journal of Epidemiology, 53 (1) dyad142, 1-9. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyad142
2023
Journal Article
Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth
Beaumont, Robin N., Flatley, Christopher, Vaudel, Marc, Wu, Xiaoping, Chen, Jing, Moen, Gunn-Helen, Skotte, Line, Helgeland, Øyvind, Solé-Navais, Pol, Banasik, Karina, Albiñana, Clara, Ronkainen, Justiina, Fadista, João, Stinson, Sara Elizabeth, Trajanoska, Katerina, Wang, Carol A., Westergaard, David, Srinivasan, Sundararajan, Sánchez-Soriano, Carlos, Bilbao, Jose Ramon, Allard, Catherine, Groleau, Marika, Kuulasmaa, Teemu, Leirer, Daniel J., White, Frédérique, Jacques, Pierre-Étienne, Cheng, Haoxiang, Hao, Ke, Andreassen, Ole A. ... The Early Growth Genetics (EGG) Consortium (2023). Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth. Nature Genetics, 55 (11), 1807-1819. doi: 10.1038/s41588-023-01520-w
2023
Journal Article
Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth
Beaumont, Robin N., Flatley, Christopher, Vaudel, Marc, Wu, Xiaoping, Chen, Jing, Moen, Gunn-Helen, Skotte, Line, Helgeland, Oyvind, Sole-Navais, Pol, Banasik, Karina, Albinana, Clara, Ronkainen, Justiina, Fadista, Joao, Stinson, Sara Elizabeth, Trajanoska, Katerina, Wang, Carol A., Westergaard, David, Srinivasan, Sundararajan, Sanchez-Soriano, Carlos, Bilbao, Jose Ramon, Allard, Catherine, Groleau, Marika, Kuulasmaa, Teemu, Leirer, Daniel J., White, Frederique, Jacques, Pierre-etienne, Cheng, Haoxiang, Hao, Ke, Andreassen, Ole A. ... Early Growth Genetics Consortium (2023). Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth. Nature Genetics, 1786-1787.
2023
Journal Article
Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth
Beaumont, Robin N., Flatley, Christopher, Vaudel, Marc, Wu, Xiaoping, Chen, Jing, Moen, Gunn-Helen, Skotte, Line, Helgeland, Oyvind, Sole-Navais, Pol, Banasik, Karina, Albinana, Clara, Ronkainen, Justiina, Fadista, Joao, Stinson, Sara Elizabeth, Trajanoska, Katerina, Wang, Carol A., Westergaard, David, Srinivasan, Sundararajan, Sanchez-Soriano, Carlos, Bilbao, Jose Ramon, Allard, Catherine, Groleau, Marika, Kuulasmaa, Teemu, Leirer, Daniel J., White, Frederique, Jacques, Pierre-etienne, Cheng, Haoxiang, Hao, Ke, Andreassen, Ole A. ... Njolstad, Pal R. (2023). Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth. Nature Genetics, 55 (11), 1807-1819. doi: 10.1038/s41588-023-01520-w
2023
Journal Article
Educational attainment, health outcomes and mortality: a within-sibship Mendelian randomization study
Howe, Laurence J., Rasheed, Humaira, Jones, Paul R., Boomsma, Dorret I., Evans, David M., Giannelis, Alexandros, Hayward, Caroline, Hopper, John L., Hughes, Amanda, Lahtinen, Hannu, Li, Shuai, Lind, Penelope A., Martin, Nicholas G., Martikainen, Pekka, Medland, Sarah E., Morris, Tim T., Nivard, Michel G., Pingault, Jean-Baptiste, Silventoinen, Karri, Smith, Jennifer A., Willoughby, Emily A., Wilson, James F., Ahlskog, Rafael, Andreassen, Ole A., Ask, Helga, Campbell, Archie, Cheesman, Rosa, Cho, Yoonsu, Christensen, Kaare ... Within Family Consortium (2023). Educational attainment, health outcomes and mortality: a within-sibship Mendelian randomization study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 52 (5), 1579-1591. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyad079
2023
Journal Article
Understanding national variations in reusable packaging: commercial drivers, regulatory factors, and provisioning systems
Beswick-Parsons, Rorie, Jackson, Peter and Evans, David M. (2023). Understanding national variations in reusable packaging: commercial drivers, regulatory factors, and provisioning systems. Geoforum, 145 103844, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103844
2023
Journal Article
The identification of distinct protective and susceptibility mechanisms for hip osteoarthritis: findings from a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of minimum joint space width and Mendelian randomisation cluster analyses
Faber, Benjamin G., Frysz, Monika, Boer, Cindy G., Evans, Daniel S., Ebsim, Raja, Flynn, Kaitlyn A., Lundberg, Mischa, Southam, Lorraine, Hartley, April, Saunders, Fiona R., Lindner, Claudia, Gregory, Jennifer S., Aspden, Richard M., Lane, Nancy E., Harvey, Nicholas C., Evans, David M., Zeggini, Eleftheria, Davey Smith, George, Cootes, Timothy, Van Meurs, Joyce, Kemp, John P. and Tobias, Jonathan H. (2023). The identification of distinct protective and susceptibility mechanisms for hip osteoarthritis: findings from a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of minimum joint space width and Mendelian randomisation cluster analyses. eBioMedicine, 95 104759, 104759. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104759
2023
Journal Article
Bone mineral density loci specific to the skull portray potential pleiotropic effects on craniosynostosis
Medina-Gomez, Carolina, Mullin, Benjamin H., Chesi, Alessandra, Prijatelj, Vid, Kemp, John P., Shochat-Carvalho, Chen, Trajanoska, Katerina, Wang, Carol, Joro, Raimo, Evans, Tavia E., Schraut, Katharina E., Li-Gao, Ruifang, Ahluwalia, Tarunveer S., Zillikens, M. Carola, Zhu, Kun, Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O., Evans, Daniel S., Nethander, Maria, Knol, Maria J., Thorleifsson, Gudmar, Prokic, Ivana, Zemel, Babette, Broer, Linda, McGuigan, Fiona E., van Schoor, Natasja M., Reppe, Sjur, Pawlak, Mikolaj A., Ralston, Stuart H., van der Velde, Nathalie ... Rivadeneira, Fernando (2023). Bone mineral density loci specific to the skull portray potential pleiotropic effects on craniosynostosis. Communications Biology, 6 (1) 691, 1-12. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04869-0
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor David Evans is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Sometimes Correlation does Equal Causation: Developing Statistical Methods to Determine Causality Using Genetic Data
There is a well-known mantra that correlation does not necessarily equal causation. This is why randomized controlled trials in which participants are physically randomized into treatment and placebo groups are the gold standard for assessing causality in epidemiological investigations. However, what is less appreciated is that strong evidence for causality can sometimes be obtained using observational data only. In particular, genotypes are randomly transmitted from parents to their offspring independent of the environment and other confounding factors, meaning that genotypes associated with particular traits can be used like natural “randomized controlled trials” to examine whether these traits causally affect risk of disease.
The aim of this PhD project is to develop statistical methods to assess causality using observational data alone. The successful candidate will gain experience across a wide range of advanced statistical genetics methodologies including Mendelian randomization (a way of using genetic variants to investigate putatively causal relationships), structural equation modelling, genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), genetic restricted maximum likelihood (G-REML) analysis of genome-wide data which can be used to partition variation in phenotypes into genetic and environmental sources of variation, and instrumental variables analysis (using natural “experiments” to obtain information on causality from observational data). The candidate will apply the new statistical methods that they develop to large genetically informative datasets like the UK Biobank (500,000 individuals with genome-wide SNP data).
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Harnessing Genetically Informative Within-Family Research Designs for Deeper Insights into the Intrauterine Developmental Period and Downstream Effects on Offspring Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Daniel Hwang, Dr Gunn-Helen Moen
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Doctor Philosophy
Multi-omic Approaches to Understanding Septic Shock
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Daniel Hwang
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Doctor Philosophy
Developing and Applying Statistical Genetics Methods to Elucidate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nicole Warrington
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigating the association between maternal and fetal HLA-KIR genotypes and offspring birth weight
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the genetic epidemiology of women's reproductive health
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Gunn-Helen Moen
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Doctor Philosophy
Using multi-omics approaches to characterise determinants of early growth trajectories and their consequences on later life health
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Jake Gratten, Dr Nicole Warrington
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Using Genetics to Understand the Relationship Between the Intrauterine Environment and Future Offspring Cardiometabolic Risk
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nicole Warrington
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Detecting and Quantifying the Effect of Assortative mating and Maternal Effects on Statistical Genetics Analyses
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nicole Warrington
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Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor David Evans directly for media enquiries about:
- Genetics
- Genome-wide association
- Mendelian randomization
- Twin Studies
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