Jackson Thorp
Mr | Research Assistant
Jackson.Thorp@qimrberghofer.edu.au
CAREER HISTORY
Jackson Thorp is a statistical geneticist specialising in the genetic analysis of psychiatric disorders. He conducted his PhD at QIMR Berghofer and the University of Queensland, where he investigated the role of genetic factors in the development of major depressive disorder, how they differ between patients with different clinical profiles and subtypes of depression, and the extent that these factors also influence other related disorders such as anxiety. Jackson’s research involves conducting large-scale genetic studies (genome-wide association studies) in order to identify the genes and biological processes underlying psychiatric disorders, which will lead to more effective and novel treatments. Jackson is a member and analyst in both the Major Depressive Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder working groups of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.
ORCID NUMBER
RESEARCHER ID
CURRENT AREAS OF RESEARCH
- Psychiatric genetics
- Statistical genetics
- Bioinformatics
- Mental health
- Depression
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
- Derks, E.M., Thorp, J.G. and Gerring, Z.F., 2022. Ten challenges for clinical translation in psychiatric genetics. Nature Genetics, 54(10), 1457-1465. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01174-0
- Thorp, J.G., Campos, A.I., Grotzinger, A.D., …, Medland, S.E., Middeldorp, C.M. and Derks, E.M., 2021. Symptom-level modelling unravels the shared genetic architecture of anxiety and depression. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(10), 1432-1442. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01094-9
- Thorp, J.G., Marees, A., Ong, J.S., An, J., MacGregor, S. and Derks, E.M., 2020. Genetic heterogeneity in self-reported depressive symptoms identified through genetic analyses of the PHQ-9. Psychological Medicine, 50(14), 2385-2396. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719002526
- Mitchell, B.L., Thorp, J.G., Wu, Y., …, Medland, S.E., Wray, N.E. and Byrne, E.M., 2021. Polygenic risk scores derived from varying definitions of depression and risk of depression. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(10), 1152-1160. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.1988
- Gerring, Z.F., Thorp, J.G., Gamazon, E.R. and Derks, E.M., 2022. A local genetic correlation analysis provides biological insights into the shared genetic architecture of psychiatric and substance use phenotypes. Biological Psychiatry, 92(7), 583-591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.03.001
- Gerring, Z.F., Thorp, J.G., Gamazon, E.R. and Derks, E.M., 2022. An analysis of genetically regulated gene expression and the role of co-expression networks across 16 psychiatric and substance use phenotypes. European Journal of Human Genetics, 30(5), 560-566. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-022-01037-6
- Wormington, B., Thorp, J. G., Scott, J. G., & Derks, E. M., 2022. Influences on the genetic relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia: the role of the externalizing spectrum. Schizophrenia Bulletin, sbac095. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbac095
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
2020 – present: International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
2020 – present: Behavior Genetics Association
AWARDS RECOGNITION
2021 – Early Career Investigator Program (ECIP) Award recipient, World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics
2021 – Award for Best Oral Presentation, Genemappers Conference
2020 – QIMR Top-up Scholarship, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
2020 – Runner-up for Best Poster Presentation, Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
2019 – Award for Best Poster Presentation, Genemappers Conference
2019 – Lindon Eaves Award for Best Poster Presentation, Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
2019 – present, Doctor of Philosophy (Statistical Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia
2018, Bachelor of Science (Honours Class I) (Psychology), School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia
2017, Bachelor of Science (Extended Major in Psychology), School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia