Professor David Evans
Professor

David Evans

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+61 7 334 62617

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

Biological Sciences Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Epidemiology Gene mapping Genetics Health Sciences

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Mendelian randomization

  • Genome-wide association studies

  • Causal Modeling

  • Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)

  • Laterality

  • Sepsis

  • Osteoporosis

  • Ankylosing Spondylitis

Search Professor David Evans’s works on UQ eSpace

447 works between 1997 and 2024
All (447) Journal Article (366) Book Chapter (4) Conference Publication (67) Other Outputs (10)

321 - 340 of 447 works

2013

Journal Article

Mining the Human Phenome Using Allelic Scores That Index Biological Intermediates

Evans, David M., Brion, Marie Jo A., Paternoster, Lavinia, Kemp, John P., McMahon, George, Munafo, Marcus, Whitfield, John B., Medland, Sarah E., Montgomery, Grant W., The GIANT consortium, The CRP consortium, The TAG Consortium, Timpson, Nicholas J., St. Pourcain, Beate, Lawlor, Debbie A., Martin, Nicholas G., Dehghan, Abbas, Hirschhorn, Joel and Davey Smith, George (2013). Mining the Human Phenome Using Allelic Scores That Index Biological Intermediates. PLoS Genetics, 9 (10) e1003919, e1003919.1-e1003919.15. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003919

Mining the Human Phenome Using Allelic Scores That Index Biological Intermediates

2013

Journal Article

A genome-wide association meta-analysis of self-reported allergy identifies shared and allergy-specific susceptibility loci

Hinds, David A., McMahon, George, Kiefer, Amy K., Do, Chuong B., Eriksson, Nicholas, Evans, David M., St Pourcain, Beate, Ring, Susan M., Mountain, Joanna L., Francke, Uta, Davey-Smith, George, Timpson, Nicholas J. and Tung, Joyce Y. (2013). A genome-wide association meta-analysis of self-reported allergy identifies shared and allergy-specific susceptibility loci. Nature Genetics, 45 (8), 907-911. doi: 10.1038/ng.2686

A genome-wide association meta-analysis of self-reported allergy identifies shared and allergy-specific susceptibility loci

2012

Journal Article

Seven newly identified loci for autoimmune thyroid disease

Cooper, Jason D., Simmonds, Matthew J., Walker, Neil M., Burren, Oliver, Brand, Oliver J., Guo, Hui, Wallace, Chris, Stevens, Helen, Coleman, Gillian, Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, Brown, Matthew A., Franklyn, Jayne A., Gough, Stephen C. L., Todd, John A. and Evans, David (2012). Seven newly identified loci for autoimmune thyroid disease. Human Molecular Genetics, 21 (23), 5202-5208. doi: 10.1093/hmg/dds357

Seven newly identified loci for autoimmune thyroid disease

2012

Journal Article

Seventy-five genetic loci influencing the human red blood cell

van der Harst, Pim, Zhang, Weihua, Leach, Irene Mateo, Rendon, Augusto, Verweij, Niek, Sehmi, Joban, Paul, Dirk S., Elling, Ulrich, Allayee, Hooman, Li, Xinzhong, Radhakrishnan, Aparna, Tan, Sian-Tsung, Voss, Katrin, Weichenberger, Christian X., Albers, Cornelis A., Al-Hussani, Abtehale, Asselbergs, Folkert W., Ciullo, Marina, Danjou, Fabrice, Dina, Christian, Esko, Tonu, Evans, David M., Franke, Lude, Goegele, Martin, Hartiala, Jaana, Hersch, Micha, Holm, Hilma, Hottenga, Jouke-Jan, Kanoni, Stavroula ... Chambers, John C. (2012). Seventy-five genetic loci influencing the human red blood cell. Nature, 492 (7429), 369-375. doi: 10.1038/nature11677

Seventy-five genetic loci influencing the human red blood cell

2012

Journal Article

Genetic predictors of response to serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressants in major depressive disorder: a genome-wide analysis of individual-level data and a meta-analysis

Tansey, Katherine E., Guipponi, Michel, Perroud, Nader, Bondolfi, Guido, Domenici, Enrico, Evans, David, Hall, Stephanie K., Hauser, Joanna, Henigsberg, Neven, Hu, Xiaolan, Jerman, Borut, Maier, Wolfgang, Mors, Ole, O'Donovan, Michael, Peters, Tim J., Placentino, Anna, Rietschel, Marcella, Souery, Daniel, Aitchison, Katherine J., Craig, Ian, Farmer, Anne, Wendland, Jens R., Malafosse, Alain, Holmans, Peter, Lewis, Glyn, Lewis, Cathryn M., Stensbøl, Tine Bryan, Kapur, Shitij, McGuffin, Peter and Uher, Rudolf (2012). Genetic predictors of response to serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressants in major depressive disorder: a genome-wide analysis of individual-level data and a meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine, 9 (10) e1001326, e1001326. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001326

Genetic predictors of response to serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressants in major depressive disorder: a genome-wide analysis of individual-level data and a meta-analysis

2012

Journal Article

WNT16 influences bone mineral density, cortical bone thickness, bone strength, and osteoporotic fracture risk

Zheng, Hou-Feng, Tobias, Jon H., Duncan, Emma, Evans, David M., Eriksson, Joel, Paternoster, Lavinia, Yerges-Armstrong, Laura M., Lehtimaki, Terho, Bergstrom, Ulrica, Kahonen, Mika, Leo, Paul J., Raitakari, Olli, Laaksonen, Marika, Nicholson, Geoffrey C., Viikari, Jorma, Ladouceur, Martin, Lyytikainen, Leo-Pekka, Medina-Gomez, Carolina, Rivadeneira, Fernando, Prince, Richard L., Sievanen, Harri, Leslie, William D., Mellstrom, Dan, Eisman, John A., Moverare-Skrtic, Sofia, Goltzman, David, Hanley, David A., Jones, Graeme, Pourcain, Beate St. ... Lorentzon, Mattias (2012). WNT16 influences bone mineral density, cortical bone thickness, bone strength, and osteoporotic fracture risk. Plos Genetics, 8 (7) e1002745, e1002745.1-e1002745.13. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002745

WNT16 influences bone mineral density, cortical bone thickness, bone strength, and osteoporotic fracture risk

2012

Journal Article

Power calculations in genetic studies

Evans, David M. and Purcell, Shaun (2012). Power calculations in genetic studies. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, 7 (6), 664-674. doi: 10.1101/pdb.top069559

Power calculations in genetic studies

2012

Journal Article

A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci

Bradfield, Jonathan P., Taal, H. Rob, Timpson, Nicholas J., Scherag, André, Lecoeur, Cecile, Warrington, Nicole M., Hypponen, Elina, Holst, Claus, Valcarcel, Beatriz, Thiering, Elisabeth, Salem, Rany M., Schumacher, Fredrick R., Cousminer, Diana L., Sleiman, Patrick M. A., Zhao, Jianhua, Berkowitz, Robert I., Vimaleswaran, Karani S., Jarick, Ivonne, Pennell, Craig E., Evans, David M., St Pourcain, Beate, Berry, Diane J., Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O., Hofman, Albert, Rivadeneira, Fernando, Uitterlinden, André G., van Duijn, Cornelia M., van der Valk, Ralf J. P., de Jongste, Johan C. ... Grant, Struan F. A. (2012). A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci. Nature Genetics, 44 (5), 526-531. doi: 10.1038/ng.2247

A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci

2012

Journal Article

Common variants at 12q15 and 12q24 are associated with infant head circumference

Taal, H. Rob, St Pourcain, Beate, Thiering, Elisabeth, Das, Shikta, Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O., Warrington, Nicole M., Kaakinen, Marika, Kreiner-Møller, Eskil, Bradfield, Jonathan P., Freathy, Rachel M., Geller, Frank, Guxens, Mònica, Cousminer, Diana L., Kerkhof, Marjan, Timpson, Nicholas J., Ikram, M. Arfan, Beilin, Lawrence J., Bønnelykke, Klaus, Buxton, Jessica L., Charoen, Pimphen, Chawes, Bo Lund Krogsgaard, Eriksson, Johan, Evans, David M., Hofman, Albert, Kemp, John P., Kim, Cecilia E., Klopp, Norman, Lahti, Jari, Lye, Stephen J. ... Middeldorp, Christel (2012). Common variants at 12q15 and 12q24 are associated with infant head circumference. Nature Genetics, 44 (5), 532-538. doi: 10.1038/ng.2238

Common variants at 12q15 and 12q24 are associated with infant head circumference

2012

Journal Article

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 56 bone mineral density loci and reveals 14 loci associated with risk of fracture

Estrada, Karol, Styrkarsdottir, Unnur, Evangelou, Evangelos, Hsu, Yi-Hsiang, Duncan, Emma L., Ntzani, Evangelia E., Oei, Ling, Albagha, Omar M. E., Amin, Najaf, Kemp, John P., Koller, Daniel L., Li, Guo, Liu, Ching-Ti, Minster, Ryan L., Moayyeri, Alireza, Vandenput, Liesbeth, Willner, Dana, Xiao, Su-Mei, Yerges-Armstrong, Laura M., Zheng, Hou-Feng, Alonso, Nerea, Eriksson, Joel, Kammerer, Candace M., Kaptoge, Stephen K., Leo, Paul J., Thorleifsson, Gudmar, Wilson, Scott G., Wilson, James F., Aalto, Ville ... Rivadeneira, Fernando (2012). Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 56 bone mineral density loci and reveals 14 loci associated with risk of fracture. Nature Genetics, 44 (5), 491-501. doi: 10.1038/ng.2249

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 56 bone mineral density loci and reveals 14 loci associated with risk of fracture

2012

Journal Article

Is there a higher genetic load of susceptibility loci in familial ankylosing spondylitis?

Joshi, Reeti, Reveille, John D., Brown, Matthew A., Weisman, Michael H., Ward, Michael M., Gensler, Lianne S., Wordsworth, B. Paul, Evans, David M. and Assassi, Shervin (2012). Is there a higher genetic load of susceptibility loci in familial ankylosing spondylitis?. Arthritis Care and Research, 64 (5), 780-784. doi: 10.1002/acr.21601

Is there a higher genetic load of susceptibility loci in familial ankylosing spondylitis?

2012

Journal Article

Patterns of Cis regulatory variation in diverse human populations

Stranger, Barbara E., Montgomery, Stephen B., Dimas, Antigone S., Parts, Leopold, Stegle, Oliver, Ingle, Catherine E., Sekowska, Magda, Smith, George Davey, Evans, David, Gutierrez-Arcelus, Maria, Price, Alkes, Raj, Towfique, Nisbett, James, Nica, Alexandra C., Beazley, Claude, Durbin, Richard, Deloukas, Panos and Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T. (2012). Patterns of Cis regulatory variation in diverse human populations. PLoS Genetics, 8 (4) e1002639, e1002639. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002639

Patterns of Cis regulatory variation in diverse human populations

2012

Journal Article

Novel loci for adiponectin levels and their influence on type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits: A multi-ethnic meta-analysis of 45,891 individuals

Dastani, Zari, Hivert, Marie-France, Timpson, Nicholas, Perry, John R. B., Yuan, Xin, Scott, Robert A., Henneman, Peter, Heid, Iris M., Kizer, Jorge R., Lyytikäinen, Leo-Pekka, Fuchsberger, Christian, Tanaka, Toshiko, Morris, Andrew P., Small, Kerrin, Isaacs, Aaron, Beekman, Marian, Coassin, Stefan, Lohman, Kurt, Qi, Lu, Kanoni, Stavroula, Pankow, James S., Uh, Hae-Won, Wu, Ying, Bidulescu, Aurelian, Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura J., Greenwood, Celia M. T., Ladouceur, Martin, Grimsby, Jonna, Manning, Alisa K. ... MuTHER Consortium (2012). Novel loci for adiponectin levels and their influence on type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits: A multi-ethnic meta-analysis of 45,891 individuals. PloS Genetics, 8 (3) e1002607, e1002607.1-e1002607.23. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002607

Novel loci for adiponectin levels and their influence on type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits: A multi-ethnic meta-analysis of 45,891 individuals

2012

Journal Article

Genome-wide association study of three-dimensional facial morphology identifies a variant in PAX3 associated with nasion position

Paternoster, Lavinia, Zhurov, Alexei I., Toma, Arshed M., Kemp, John P., St. Pourcain, Beate, Timpson, Nicholas J., McMahon, George, McArdle, Wendy, Ring, Susan M., Smith, George Davey, Richmond, Stephen and Evans, David M. (2012). Genome-wide association study of three-dimensional facial morphology identifies a variant in PAX3 associated with nasion position. American Journal of Human Genetics, 90 (3), 478-485. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.12.021

Genome-wide association study of three-dimensional facial morphology identifies a variant in PAX3 associated with nasion position

2012

Journal Article

Dysfunction of lipid sensor GPR120 leads to obesity in both mouse and human

Ichimura, Atsuhiko, Hirasawa, Akira, Poulain-Godefroy, Odile, Bonnefond, Amelie, Hara, Takafumi, Yengo, Loic, Kimura, Ikuo, Leloire, Audrey, Liu, Ning, Iida, Keiko, Choquet, Helene, Besnard, Philippe, Lecoeur, Cecile, Vivequin, Sidonie, Ayukawa, Kumiko, Takeuchi, Masato, Ozawa, Kentaro, Tauber, Maithe, Maffeis, Claudio, Morandi, Anita, Buzzetti, Raffaella, Elliott, Paul, Pouta, Anneli, Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta, Koerner, Antje, Kiess, Wieland, Pigeyre, Marie, Caiazzo, Roberto, Van Hul, Wim ... Froguel, Philippe (2012). Dysfunction of lipid sensor GPR120 leads to obesity in both mouse and human. Nature, 483 (7389), 350-354. doi: 10.1038/nature10798

Dysfunction of lipid sensor GPR120 leads to obesity in both mouse and human

2012

Journal Article

Genome-wide association study to identify common variants associated with brachial circumference: A meta-analysis of 14 cohorts

Boraska, Vesna, Day-Williams, Aaron, Franklin, Christopher S., Elliott, Katherine S., Panoutsopoulou, Kalliope, Tachmazidou, Ioanna, Albrecht, Eva, Bandinelli, Stefania, Beilin, Lawrence J., Bochud, Murielle, Cadby, Gemma, Ernst, Florian, Evans, David M., Hayward, Caroline, Hicks, Andrew A., Huffman, Jennifer, Huth, Cornelia, James, Alan L., Klopp, Norman, Kolcic, Ivana, Kutalik, Zoltan, Lawlor, Debbie A., Musk, Arthur W., Pehlic, Marina, Pennell, Craig E., Perry, John R. B., Peters, Annette, Polasek, Ozren, St Pourcain, Beate ... Zeggini, Eleftheria (2012). Genome-wide association study to identify common variants associated with brachial circumference: A meta-analysis of 14 cohorts. Plos One, 7 (3) e31369, e31369.1-e31369.10. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031369

Genome-wide association study to identify common variants associated with brachial circumference: A meta-analysis of 14 cohorts

2012

Journal Article

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies three new risk loci for atopic dermatitis

Paternoster, Lavinia, Standl, Marie, Chen, Chi-Mei, Ramasamy, Adaikalavan, Bonnelykke, Klaus, Duijts, Liesbeth, Ferreira, Manuel A., Alves, Alexessander C., Thyssen, Jacob P., Albrecht, Eva, Baurecht, Hansjorg, Feenstra, Bjarke, Sleiman, Patrick M. A., Hysi, Piro, Warrington, Nicole M., Curjuric, Ivan, Myhre, Ronny, Curtin, John A., Groen-Blokhuis, Maria M., Kerkhof, Marjan, Saaf, Annika, Franke, Andre, Ellinghaus, David, Folster-Holst, Regina, Dermitzakis, Emmanouil, Montgomery, Stephen B., Prokisch, Holger, Heim, Katharina, Hartikainen, Anna-Lisa ... EArly Genetics Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) Consortium (2012). Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies three new risk loci for atopic dermatitis. Nature Genetics, 44 (2), 187-192. doi: 10.1038/ng.1017

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies three new risk loci for atopic dermatitis

2012

Conference Publication

Ankylosing spondylitis is associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms in loci implicating four aminopeptidases

Robinson, Philip, Cortes, Adrian, Leo, Paul, Evans, David and Brown, Matthew A. (2012). Ankylosing spondylitis is associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms in loci implicating four aminopeptidases. Annual Scientific Meeting of the American-College-of-Rheumatology (ACR) and Association-of-Rheumatology-Health-Professionals (ARHP), Washington, DC, United States, 9-14 November 2012. Hoboken, NJ, United States: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/art.37735

Ankylosing spondylitis is associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms in loci implicating four aminopeptidases

2012

Conference Publication

Meta-analysis of genome-wide scans for total body BMD in children and adults reveals allelic heterogeneity, pleiotropy and age-specific effects at the WNT16 locus

Medina-Gomez, C., Kemp, J. P., Estrada, K., Eriksson, J., Liu, J., Reppe, S., Evans, D. M., Heppe, D., van den Put, L., Herrera, L., Ring, S. M., Kruithof, C., Timpson, N. J., Zillikens, M. C., Olstad, O. K., St Pourcain, B., Hofman, A., Jaddoe, V. W., Smith, G. D., Lorentzon, M., Gautvik, K. M., Uitterlinden, A. G., Brommage, R., Ohlsson, C., Tobias, J. H. and Rivadeneira, F. (2012). Meta-analysis of genome-wide scans for total body BMD in children and adults reveals allelic heterogeneity, pleiotropy and age-specific effects at the WNT16 locus. 39th Annual Congress of the European-Calcified-Tissue-Society (ECTS), Stockholm Sweden, May 19-23, 2012. NEW YORK: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2012.02.085

Meta-analysis of genome-wide scans for total body BMD in children and adults reveals allelic heterogeneity, pleiotropy and age-specific effects at the WNT16 locus

2012

Journal Article

Association analysis of 31 common polymorphisms with type 2 diabetes and its related traits in Indian sib pairs

Gupta, V., Vinay, D. G., Rafiq, S., Kranthikumar, M. V., Janipalli, C. S., Giambartolomei, C., Evans, D. M., Mani, K. R., Sandeep, M. N., Taylor, A. E., Kinra, S., Sullivan, R. M., Bowen, L., Timpson, N. J., Smith, G. D., Dudbridge, F., Prabhakaran, D., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Reddy, K. S., Ebrahim, S. and Chandak, G. R. (2012). Association analysis of 31 common polymorphisms with type 2 diabetes and its related traits in Indian sib pairs. Diabetologia, 55 (2), 349-357. doi: 10.1007/s00125-011-2355-6

Association analysis of 31 common polymorphisms with type 2 diabetes and its related traits in Indian sib pairs

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2027
    Developing and Applying Mendelian Randomization Methods to Facilitate Drug Discovery and Solve Intractable Problems in Medical Research
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2024
    Developing and Applying Statistical Genetics Methods to Elucidate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    Identifying maternal and fetal genetic determinants of infant birthweight and their relationship to offspring cardiometabolic risk
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2024
    The role of size, shape and structure of bones and joints, in explaining common musculoskeletal diseases (Wellcome Trust Grant administered by University of Bristol)
    University of Bristol
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Developing and applying statistical genetics methods to identify genes, molecular biomarkers and environmental agents that causally affect risk of complex musculoskeletal diseases
    NHMRC Research Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2020
    Enhancing host defence mechanisms in severe bacterial infections
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2021
    Development and application of a Mendelian randomization framework aimed at dissecting the biological basis of ankylosing spondylitis and other complex diseases
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Using Methods in Genetic Epidemiology to Elucidate the Relationship Between Viral Infection and Risk of Autoimmune Disease
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Establishing a gnotobiotic germ-free mouse facility
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    A biomarker for sepsis to thwart antibiotic overuse in the intensive care unit
    Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Bivariate genome-wide association study of birth weight and endophenotypes related to five diseases in later life
    UWA-UQ Bilateral Research Collaboration Award
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Finding novel genetic associations in Ankylosing Spondylitis
    University of Oxford
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Gene expression profiling in critically ill patients with septic shock: The ADRENAL-GEPS Study
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Novel ways of utilizing genome-wide DNA methylation data from peripheral blood samples in genetic epidemiology
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Calibration of single channel and liquid handling robots
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Dissecting the great ophthalmic masquerade: The Global Giant Cell Arteritis Genomics Consortium (NHMRC Project Grant administered by the Centre for Eye Research Australia)
    Centre for Eye Research Australia
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Multiplex High Throughput Bio-plex Protein Assay Platform
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2018
    Clinical Researcher Training
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant

Availability

Professor David Evans is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • 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

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing and Applying Statistical Genetics Methods to Elucidate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Nicole Warrington

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the association between maternal and fetal HLA-KIR genotypes and offspring birth weight

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the genetic epidemiology of women's reproductive health

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Gunn-Helen Moen

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Using genetics to predict drug efficacy and on-target side effects of pharmacological agents

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Glenn King, Associate Professor Sonia Shah

  • 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

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Multi-omic Approaches to Understanding Septic Shock

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Daniel Hwang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Multi-omic Approaches to Understanding Septic Shock

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Daniel Hwang

  • 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

Enquiries

Contact Professor David Evans directly for media enquiries about:

  • Genetics
  • Genome-wide association
  • Mendelian randomization
  • Twin Studies

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