Summer School
Our annual Summer School in Brain Disorders Research is held at one of the world's leading centres on neuropsychiatric genetics and genomics.
This year's four-day course will take place at the Hadyn Ellis Building and online, run by the team based in the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) and the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) at Cardiff University.
The aim of the summer school is to provide trainees and scientists with a grounding in brain disorders research and to inspire and inform the researchers of tomorrow.
The summer school includes talks on a range of topics in psychiatry, neurology and neuroscience including:
- neuroimaging
- psychiatric epidemiology
- genetics and epigenetics
- high-throughput sequencing
- manipulation of stem cells
- phenotypic assessments
- ethics in genetic research
The summer school also includes workshops on scientific careers and academic fellowships.
Programme
Our programme for July 2023:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | Registration and lunch |
| 13:00 | Introduction Professor James Walters and Professor George Kirov |
| 13:10 | Principles of high-throughput sequencing: sample preparation, equipment Professor Nigel Williams |
| 13:55 | High-throughput sequencing tour, part 1: lab tours in small groups / coffee (Virtual tour 14:00-14:45) Dr Joanne Morgan |
| 16:00 | High-throughput sequencing tour, part 2: Analysis and interpretation of sequencing data Dr Elliott Rees |
| 16:45 | Copy number variations (CNVs) in neurodevelopmental disorders Professor George Kirov |
| 17:30 | Check-in at Senghennydd Hall for those with booked accommodation |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast provided at Hadyn Ellis Building |
| 09:00 | Using MRI to understand mental disorders Dr Xavier Caseras / CUBRIC |
| 09:45 | Neuroimaging tour of CUBRIC / coffee (Virtual tour 10:00 - 10:45) Professor Neil Harrison and team |
| 11:45 | Reproductive psychiatry and the effect of gender and sex on mental health Professor Arianna Di Florio |
| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30 | Imaging epilepsy Dr Khalid Hamandi |
| 14:15 | Movement disorder phenotypes and genetics Dr Kathryn Peall |
| 15:00 | Coffee |
| 15:30 | Genetics of epilepsy Dr Rhys Thomas, Newcastle (Zoom) |
| 16:15 | Huntington's disease: translating genetics into therapies Dr Tom Massey |
| 18:30 | Social meal in Cardiff city centre |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast provided at Hadyn Ellis Building |
| 09:00 | Drug Discovery in Psychiatry Dr Gerry Dawson, CEO of P1vital LTD |
| 09:45 | Emerging technologies (CRISPR-Cas9, single cell sequencing and others) Professor Adrian Harwood |
| 10:30 | Making neurons from stem cells: laboratory tour / coffee (Virtual tour 10:00 – 10:45) Professor Adrian Harwood and team |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Neural Stem cells manipulation to repair brain injury Dr Malik Zaben |
| 13:45 | Measuring risk for Alzheimer’s Disease Professor Valentina Escott-Price |
| 14:30 | Coffee |
| 15:00 | Neuroimaging TBC |
| 15:45 | Parallel talks: Research careers in medicine |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast provided at Hadyn Ellis Building |
| 09:00 | A developmental approach to understanding child and adolescent mental health Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health |
| 09:45 | Big Data and GWAS Professor James Walters |
| 10:30 | Coffee |
| 11:00 | Workshop: Social and ethical aspects of genetic testing Dr Michael Arribas-Ayllon |
| 11:45 | Why this is the best time for neuroscience in psychiatry Professor Jeremy Hall |
| 12:30 | Lunch and farewell |
Speakers
The programme is delivered by experts in their respective fields.
- Professor James Walters
- Professor Nigel Williams
- Professor Arianna di Florio
- Dr Will Davies
- Professor Valentina Escott-Price
- Dr Elliot Rees
- Dr Xavier Caseras
- Professor Jeremy Hall
- Professor Adrian Harwood
- Professor George Kirov
- Dr Kathryn Peall
- Dr Khalid Hamandi
- Dr Tom Massey
- Dr Michael Arribas-Ayllon
- Dr Malik Zaben
Who can apply
The summer school is aimed at clinical trainees (Foundation/Core/Specialty Training) and non-clinical scientists (MSc, PhD, Post Doc) who are interested in moving into the field of neuropsychiatric genetics and genomics, or those who want an introduction to brain disorders research.
We run a similar programme every year as an introduction to the research taking place at the CNGG. Applications will not be accepted for those who have previously attended.
Our summer school is free to attend. Student accommodation is provided for anyone travelling from outside Cardiff.
Unfortunately, we cannot help with travel fees.
How to apply
To apply, please send us a short CV and cover letter, 750 words maximum, stating why you want to attend the summer school and how you think it will benefit you.
The deadline for applications is 4 June 2023.
It is free to attend the summer school, but please note travel expenses cannot be reimbursed.
Accommodation
Free student accommodation is available for attendees travelling from outside Cardiff.
Contact us
For more information, please contact: