Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer
Professor David Evans
Professor

David Evans

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 62617

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

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

Works

Search Professor David Evans’s works on UQ eSpace

449 works between 1997 and 2025

421 - 440 of 449 works

2007

Conference Publication

A phase 1 Genome-wide association study in Ostoeporosis

Sims, A. M., Duncan, E. L., Dowling, A., Doan, T., Evans, D., Eisman, J., Jones, G., Nicholson, G., Prince, R., Seeman, E., Wass, J. and Brown, M. A. (2007). A phase 1 Genome-wide association study in Ostoeporosis. 17th Annual Meeting of the Australian & New Zealand Bone & Mineral Society, Queenstown, New Zealand,, 9-12 September, 2007.

A phase 1 Genome-wide association study in Ostoeporosis

2007

Journal Article

Genomewide scans of red cell indices suggest linkage on chromosome 6q23

Iliadou, A., Evans, D. M., Zhu, G., Duffy, D. L., Frazer, I. H., Montgomery, G. W. and Martin, N. G. (2007). Genomewide scans of red cell indices suggest linkage on chromosome 6q23. Journal of Medical Genetics, 44 (1), 24-30. doi: 10.1136/jmg.2006.043521

Genomewide scans of red cell indices suggest linkage on chromosome 6q23

2007

Conference Publication

Il-23r is a major determinant of ankylosing spondylitis risk - The tasc study

Reveille, J. D., Zhou, X., Bradbury, L. A., Cardon, L. R., Davis, J. C., Deloukas, P., Evans, D. M., Keniry, A., McGinnis, R., Pointon, J., Ward, M. M., Weisman, M. H., Wordsworth, P. and Brown, M. A. (2007). Il-23r is a major determinant of ankylosing spondylitis risk - The tasc study. Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2007), Barcelona Spain, Jun 13-16, 2007. LONDON: B M J PUBLISHING GROUP.

Il-23r is a major determinant of ankylosing spondylitis risk - The tasc study

2006

Journal Article

Genome-wide association: a promising start to a long race

Evans, David M. and Cardon, Lon R. (2006). Genome-wide association: a promising start to a long race. Trends in Genetics, 22 (7), 350-354. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2006.05.001

Genome-wide association: a promising start to a long race

2006

Journal Article

A note on the power to detect transmission distortion in parent-child trios via the transmission disequilibrium test.

Evans D.M., Morris A.P., Cardon L.R. and Sham P.C. (2006). A note on the power to detect transmission distortion in parent-child trios via the transmission disequilibrium test.. Behavior genetics, 36 (6), 947-950. doi: 10.1007/s10519-006-9087-2

A note on the power to detect transmission distortion in parent-child trios via the transmission disequilibrium test.

2006

Journal Article

Genome-wide scan of IQ finds significant linkage to a quantitative trait locus on 2q

Luciano, M., Wright, M. J., Duffy, D. L., Wainwright, M. A., Zhu, G., Evans, D. M., Geffen, G. M., Montgomery, G. W. and Martin, N. G. (2006). Genome-wide scan of IQ finds significant linkage to a quantitative trait locus on 2q. Behavior Genetics, 36 (1), 45-55. doi: 10.1007/s10519-005-9003-1

Genome-wide scan of IQ finds significant linkage to a quantitative trait locus on 2q

2006

Journal Article

Two-stage two-locus models in genome-wide association

Evans D.M., Marchini J., Morris A.P. and Cardon L.R. (2006). Two-stage two-locus models in genome-wide association. PLoS Genetics, 2 (9), 1424-1432. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0020157

Two-stage two-locus models in genome-wide association

2005

Journal Article

A haplotype map of the human genome

Belmont J.W., Boudreau A., Leal S.M., Hardenbol P., Pasternak S., Wheeler D.A., Willis T.D., Yu F., Yang H., Gao Y., Hu H., Hu W., Li C., Lin W., Liu S., Pan H., Tang X., Wang J., Wang W., Yu J., Zhang B., Zhang Q., Zhao H., Zhou J., Barry R., Blumenstiel B., Camargo A., Defelice M., Faggart M. ... Stewart J. (2005). A haplotype map of the human genome. Nature, 437 (7063), 1299-1320. doi: 10.1038/nature04226

A haplotype map of the human genome

2005

Journal Article

Teenage acne is influenced by genetic factors

Evans, D. M., Kirk, K. M., Nyholt, D. R., Novac, C. and Martin, N. G. (2005). Teenage acne is influenced by genetic factors. British Journal of Dermatology, 152 (3), 579-581. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2005.06387.x

Teenage acne is influenced by genetic factors

2005

Journal Article

Genetically indistinguishable SNPs and their influence on inferring the location of disease-associated variants

Lawrence, Robert, Evans, David M., Morris, Andrew P., Ke, Xiayi, Hunt, Sarah, Paolucci, Marta, Ragoussis, Jiannis, Deloukas, Panos, Bentley, David and Cardon, Lon R. (2005). Genetically indistinguishable SNPs and their influence on inferring the location of disease-associated variants. Genome Research, 15 (11), 1503-1510. doi: 10.1101/gr.4217605

Genetically indistinguishable SNPs and their influence on inferring the location of disease-associated variants

2005

Conference Publication

Prospects and pitfalls in whole genome association studies

Lawrence R.W., Evans D.M. and Cardon L.R. (2005). Prospects and pitfalls in whole genome association studies. Meeting on Genetic Variation and Human Health, London England, Jan, 2005. LONDON: ROYAL SOCIETY. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2005.1689

Prospects and pitfalls in whole genome association studies

2005

Journal Article

A comparison of linkage disequilibrium patterns and estimated population recombination rates across multiple populations

Evans D.M. and Cardon L.R. (2005). A comparison of linkage disequilibrium patterns and estimated population recombination rates across multiple populations. American Journal of Human Genetics, 76 (4), 681-687. doi: 10.1086/429274

A comparison of linkage disequilibrium patterns and estimated population recombination rates across multiple populations

2004

Journal Article

Genotype prediction using a dense map of SNPs

Evans, David M., Cardon, Lon R. and Morris, Andrew P. (2004). Genotype prediction using a dense map of SNPs. Genetic Epidemiology, 27 (4), 375-384. doi: 10.1002/gepi.20045

Genotype prediction using a dense map of SNPs

2004

Journal Article

Guidelines for genotyping in genomewide linkage studies: single-nucleotide-polymorphism maps versus microsatellite maps

Evans, David M. and Cardon, Lon R. (2004). Guidelines for genotyping in genomewide linkage studies: single-nucleotide-polymorphism maps versus microsatellite maps. American Journal of Human Genetics, 75 (4), 687-692. doi: 10.1086/424696

Guidelines for genotyping in genomewide linkage studies: single-nucleotide-polymorphism maps versus microsatellite maps

2004

Journal Article

Major quantitative trait locus for eosinophil count is located on chromosome 2q

Evans, DM, Zhu, G, Duffy, DL, Montgomery, GW, Frazer, IH and Martin, NG (2004). Major quantitative trait locus for eosinophil count is located on chromosome 2q. Journal of Allergy And Clinical Immunology, 114 (4), 826-830. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2004.05.060

Major quantitative trait locus for eosinophil count is located on chromosome 2q

2004

Journal Article

A simulation study concerning the effect of varying the residual phenotypic correlation on the power of bivariate quantitative trait loci linkage analysis

Evans, David M. and Duffy, David L. (2004). A simulation study concerning the effect of varying the residual phenotypic correlation on the power of bivariate quantitative trait loci linkage analysis. Behavior Genetics, 34 (2), 135-141. doi: 10.1023/B:BEGE.0000013727.15845.f8

A simulation study concerning the effect of varying the residual phenotypic correlation on the power of bivariate quantitative trait loci linkage analysis

2004

Journal Article

A major quantitative trait locus for CD4-CD8 ratio is located on chromosome 11

Evans, D. M., Zhu, G., Duffy, D. L., Frazer, I. H., Montgomery, G. W. and Martin, N. G. (2004). A major quantitative trait locus for CD4-CD8 ratio is located on chromosome 11. Genes and Immunity, 5 (7), 548-552. doi: 10.1038/sj.gene.6364126

A major quantitative trait locus for CD4-CD8 ratio is located on chromosome 11

2004

Journal Article

Multivariate QTL linkage analysis suggests a QTL for platelet count on chromosome 19q

Evans, D. M., Zhu, G., Duffy, D. L., Montgomery, G. W., Frazer, IH and Martin, NG (2004). Multivariate QTL linkage analysis suggests a QTL for platelet count on chromosome 19q. European Journal of Human Genetics, 12 (10), 835-842. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201248

Multivariate QTL linkage analysis suggests a QTL for platelet count on chromosome 19q

2004

Journal Article

Genetic Simplex Modeling of Eysenck's Dimensions of Personality in a Sample of Young Australian Twins

Gillespie, Nathan A., Evans, David E., Wright, Margie M. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2004). Genetic Simplex Modeling of Eysenck's Dimensions of Personality in a Sample of Young Australian Twins. Twin Research, 7 (6), 637-648. doi: 10.1375/1369052042663814

Genetic Simplex Modeling of Eysenck's Dimensions of Personality in a Sample of Young Australian Twins

2004

Journal Article

Do the Genetic or Environmental Determinants of Anxiety and Depression Change with Age? A Longitudinal Study of Australian Twins

Gillespie, Nathan A., Kirk, Katherine M., Evans, David M., Heath, Andrew C., Hickie, Ian B. and Martin, Nicholas G. (2004). Do the Genetic or Environmental Determinants of Anxiety and Depression Change with Age? A Longitudinal Study of Australian Twins. Twin Research, 7 (1), 39-53. doi: 10.1375/13690520460741435

Do the Genetic or Environmental Determinants of Anxiety and Depression Change with Age? A Longitudinal Study of Australian Twins

Supervision

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

    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

    Multi-omic Approaches to Understanding Septic Shock

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Daniel Hwang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the genetic epidemiology of women's reproductive health

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Gunn-Helen Moen

  • 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

    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

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor David Evans directly for media enquiries about:

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

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au