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Russell McLaughlin Ussher Assistant Professor in Genome Analysis Principal investigator
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| Russell graduated from University of Bristol in 2005 with a BSc in Neuroscience and moved to Dublin two years later to undertake a PhD in Molecular Medicine under Professor Dan Bradley in the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin. He completed a higher diploma (HDip) in Statistics at Trinity College in 2009 and defended his PhD thesis, From single nucleotide polymorphisms to next-generation sequencing in the complex genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2012. In September 2016 Russell was appointed Ussher Assistant Professor in Genome Analysis in the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, where he now leads the Complex Trait Genomics group. | |||||||||||
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Ross Byrne PhD student
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| Ross graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2016 with a first-class honours degree in Genetics. Upon graduating he started his PhD studying under the supervision of Russell McLaughlin in the Complex Traits Genomics group, in conjunction with the Academic Unit of Neurology (TCD). His research primarily explores the application of fine-scale population genetics to better understand the subtle regional genetic differences and similarities seen within countries. The presence of such local population structure may have important implications for the study of complex traits, as subtle ancestral differences may confound the discovery of disease causing variation. | |||||||||
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Mark Doherty PhD student
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| Mark Doherty graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2017 with an Honors Bachelor degree in Science specialising in Genetics. Mark is currently a PhD student under the joint supervision of Russell McLaughlin in the Complex Trait Genomics group (TCD) and Orla Hardiman in the Academic Unit of Neurology (TCD). His primary interest lies in studying the genetic heterogeneity and architecture of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Mark's research extends from the characterisation of single variants to genome wide analyses. | |||||||||
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Jenny Hengeveld PhD student
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| Jennifer Hengeveld graduated from Simon Bolivar University (USB) in Venezuela with a Bachelor degree in Biology, and graduated from Trinity College with a MSc. in Molecular Medicine. Jenny is currently a PhD student under the joint supervision of Russell McLaughlin in the Complex Trait Genomics groups (TCD) and Orla Hardiman in the Academic Unit of Neurology (TCD). Her research primarily explores the association between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and genes known to harbour repeat expansions. | |||||
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Ciaran Kelly PhD student
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| Ciaran is a PhD student interested in the genetic architecture of complex traits. He is exploring whether gene-gene interactions can improve the predictive accuracy of polygenic risk scores, which currently work under the assumptions of an additive linear model. Through the use of machine learning techniques such as neural networks, and by leveraging known biological information in the form of protein-protein interactions, he hopes to improve our ability to understand and predict disease with an increased appreciation of network theory and the importance of epistatic interactions. Ciaran graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2018 with a B.A. in Human Genetics. | |||||||
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Laura O'Briain PhD student
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