Sam Bentwood

Thesis title: Examining the causes and consequences of sub-types of depression across the life course

Biography

Background

Originally graduating with a BSc in Economics from the University of Manchester, I spent several years as a SAS database programmer in the financial industry. I returned to academia in 2020, completing a BSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology (also University of Manchester) in 2023, where I developed an interest for psychiatric genetics, carrying out a final year bioinformatics project looking into differential microRNA expression in autism spectrum disorder. In 2024, I completed a MSc in Human Complex Trait Genetics at the University of Edinburgh, my MSc thesis project investigating the genetic architecture of depression, which is also the focus of my PhD project.

Qualifications

MSc Human Complex Trait Genetics, University of Edinburgh (2024)

BSc (Hons.) Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Manchester (2023)

BEconSc (Hons.) Economics, University of Manchester (2010)

Research summary

My research focuses on the heterogeneity of depression, aiming to understand the causes and consequences of different forms of the condition, using longitudinal modelling and latent class analysis to identify clinically relevant patient subgroups, and genetic analyses such as genome-wide association, polygenic risk scores and mendelian randomisation to investigate the underlying genetic architecture and potential causal relationships. I have always been fascinated by what makes everyone unique and interesting, but these factors can also negatively impact people’s lives and wellbeing, so I am proud to be undertaking this research to help further our understanding of depression.

This article was published on