Professor
College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Publications: You can find my publications via Google Scholar
Background: I received a BSc in Psychology from the University of Leeds in 2003, and an MRC-funded MSc (2004) and PhD (2008) in Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King’s College London. In 2012 I moved to the University of Adelaide, and in 2016 to Flinders University as a Matthew Flinders Fellow. Here I head the Behavioural Genetic and Environmental Mechanisms (Behavioural GEMs) Lab. For current projects please see Research and Supervision in the tabs above.
Current Research:
My research applies a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach, and focuses on integrating environmental factors including social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status and stress, with genetic predictors in a range of phenotypes: disordered eating, depression, psychosis (bipolar disorder and schizophrenia) and cognition. This work extends to understanding whether these phenotypes, and factors such as stress, also contribute to physical health outcomes such as obesity and infertility.
The aim of my work is to understand how the environment interacts with our genetics and with ourselves at the biological level, and how risk can be passed from one generation to the next.
Epigenetics provides a possible avenue by which the environment can influence how our genes are expressed. My recent research investigates these variations in behaviour and psychological disorders, working to identify how environmental factors can influence genetic risk and subsequent outcomes. This includes identification and analysis of polygenic risk, DNA methylation and small RNAs associated with disease risk/protective factors as well as the behaviour or disease.
GradCert (Higher Education), University of Adelaide
PhD Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, King's College London
MSc Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, King's College London
BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Leeds
Recent Cat 1 Funding:
2019 - 2021 Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP19) ($443,000): "Investigating differences in decision-making ability in older adults" Irina Baetu, Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Sarah Cohen-Woods, Ahmed Moustafa, Nicholas Burns
2015 - 2017 National Health and Medical Research project grant ($601,328): “Epigenetic mechanisms of brain dysfunction in psychotic and mood disorders” Melissa Green, Murray Cairns, Sarah Cohen-Woods
2014 - 2016 National Health and Medical Research project grant ($713,447): “Defining the role of inflammation in depression during aging” Bernhard Baune, Sarah Cohen-Woods, Julian Trollor, Simone Reppermund
Honours/Awards
2019 - Tall Poppy Award, South Australia
2015 - Society for Mental Health Research, Best Poster
2009 - International Society of Psychiatric Genetics - Early Career Investigator Award
2009 - NIHR Retreat Presentation, second prize
2008 - Awarded Associate Member of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Lab Head: Behavioural Genetic and Environmental Mechanisms (Behavioural GEMs) Lab
CEPSW Research Capacity Building and Impact Lead
Australian Brain Alliance co-Chair:
International Brain Initiative executive, and co-lead of Education and Training working group, representative on Neuroethics working group
Biological Psychiatry Australia executive
Australia-New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge - South Australia state Co-coordinator
Multiple public engagements such as Science in the South (2022, 2023), My Science Rulz (2021), Dinner with a Scientist 2018