Ali Jawaid, PhD is a medical doctor and a scientist, having pursued education in the fields of both clinical and basic neurology. He graduated from the Aga Khan University (Pakistan), the Baylor College of Medicine (USA) and the University of Zurich (Switzerland). Since July 2020 he has led the Translational REsearch in Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TREND) laboratory at BRAINCITY, also working as Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston (USA). He has authored over 70 papers, some published in prestigious scientific journals including Science, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Nature Communications, EMBO Journal and Trends in Genetics (his h-index is currently 20). His works have also been presented in renowned media such as BBC, Science Daily, Psychology Today and TEDx.

THE SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

PhD Ali Jawaid’s research is focused on interrelations between epigenetic and metabolic factors in the pathogenesis and heredity of brain disorders. The TREND laboratory is working towards responding a critical question of how environmental exposure and life experience, including injuries sustained in early childhood, dietary habits and inflammation history, affect susceptibility to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, regardless of whether such susceptibility is transferred to the offspring via brain-germline connection, and how this could be prevented.