Our Researchers

Based in Geelong, Professor Michael Berk is an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, Alfred Deakin Chair of Psychiatry at Deakin University and Barwon Health, and Director of IMPACT, the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation. Professor Berk is the top ranked author in Australia for Psychiatry with a special interest in mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder. His foremost interests are in discovering and implementing novel therapies to empower people with psychiatric disorders.

Research Interests

Novel therapies, risk factors and prevention of psychiatric disorders, bipolar disorder.

“I’ve learnt more from the patients I see than probably anywhere else. We focus almost exclusively on those problems that have a direct impact, direct benefits, for public health.”

In epidemiology and clinical trials, Professor John McGrath aims to explore non-genetic risk factors – such as low vitamin D – that in time, could be modified to reduce the risk of mental disorders. He has forged cross-disciplinary collaborations linking risk factor epidemiology with developmental neurobiology, including in schizophrenia. John and his team have established the Cadence Clinical Trials Platform in South-East Queensland, concentrating on better clinical outcomes for people with psychosis; John also holds a prestigious Niels Bohr Professorship that sees him operate in Denmark, focussing on schizophrenia.

Research interests

The link between vitamin D status and brain outcomes, demographic and clinical correlates of psychotic-like experiences; psychosis, Cadence.

Professor Pat McGorry is Executive Director of Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and a Consultant Psychiatrist at headspace and the PACE Clinic, Orygen Youth Health Clinical Program (OYHCP). He led the successful original vision and bid to form headspace, now established as Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Pat is heavily involved in developing early intervention and youth mental health services, and in mental health innovation, advocacy, and reform.

Research interests

Psychosis, mood disorders, service reform.

With primary expertise in epidemiology, Professor John McNeil’s research revolves around applying the methods of epidemiological methods to problems in clinical medicine and public health. He is Australian Co-PI of the $60 million ‘ASPREE’ trial of low-dose aspirin in the elderly, the largest clinical trial conducted in Australia; while John’s leadership in clinical quality registries has led to increased levels of collaboration in registry science across Australia and internationally.

Research interests

Clinical trials, clinical registries, clinical pharmacology.

Professor Gin Malhi is Director of the Clinical Assessment Diagnostic Evaluation (CADE) clinic, which provides secondary and tertiary referral assessments for patients with mood disorders from across NSW. Gin’s research focuses on clinically-nested studies across clinical and neuroscience studies investigating pathophysiology of clinical disorders, and his leadership contributions include the ‘Lithiumeter’ concept for guiding the use of lithium in clinical practice. He is Chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Clinical Practice Guideline working group, which developed the 2020 national guidelines for managing mood disorders.

Research interests

Neuroimaging, Mental health, Psychiatry, depression, mental disorders.

Having pioneered a fast-growing field of Nutritional Psychiatry, Prof. Felice Jacka OAM is Director of the Food and Mood Centre – the first group of its kind, globally, to examine the potential of diet and the gut microbiome to treat and prevent mental disorders. Her group now leads a range of clinical trials, education, and policy contributions, with diet now a best practice (RANZCP) recommended first step in treating mood disorders.

Research interests

Diet, gut health, and mental and brain health.

Professor Sue Cotton is a psychologist with clinical training in neuropsychology, and a consultant biostatistician. She conducts research out of Orygen and the Centre for Youth Mental Health (CYMH), University of Melbourne. Sue has extensive experience in psychiatric research, and is particularly interested in measuring change and improving outcomes amongst young people.

Research interests

Clinical trials focusing on psychosocial and/or pharmacological treatments for first episode psychosis, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, and substance abuse.

Chair in Metabolic Diseases and Deputy Director of Deakin’s IMPACT, the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Professor Ken Walder uses molecular biology and bioinformatics techniques to examine how drugs currently used in mental health work, and to screen other drugs for their potential as new options for treating depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. His team’s novel gene-expression-signature based platform led to a glaucoma drug (methazolamide) being successfully repurposed for type 2 diabetes, providing a likely new therapeutic that could help millions of sufferers worldwide.

Research interests

Drug discovery, repurposing drugs, biomarkers

Assoc/Prof Lana Williams is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Emerging Research Fellow, clinically trained psychologist, and co-director of the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS), one of the largest and comprehensive psychiatric epidemiological studies in Australia. Assoc/Prof Williams founded and continues to lead, CONEXUS Research based at Deakin University, which is home to her research program aimed at understanding the interplay between mental disorders, associated treatment regimens and physical disease.

Research interests

Psychiatric epidemiology, physical comorbidity, mood disorders, personality disorders

Prof Amminger is a Psychiatrist, Head of Neuroprotective Biotherapies Research at Orygen, and Professor of Neurobiology and Neuroprotection in Emerging Mental Disorders at the Centre of Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne. He pioneered the use of omega-3 fatty acids for preventing psychosis in young people at high risk, providing an avenue for early intervention. He is engaged in clinical trials research testing agents with favourable risk-benefit ratio for treatment and preventive use in young people with mental health problems.

A/Prof McKetin is Australia’s foremost expert on methamphetamine use, having received a Young Tall Poppy Science Award for her research in this field. Her major achievements including establishing the world’s first methamphetamine treatment outcome study, leading research into the emergence of crystalline methamphetamine use in Australia and developing and evaluating the world’s first online intervention for psychostimulant use.

Research interests

Stimulant use, methamphetamine use and harms, methamphetamine psychosis, epidemiology, service coverage and barriers to care.

Prof Malcom holds the positions of Professor of Psychiatry with Ramsay Health Care at the University of Melbourne and Clinical Director, Professorial Psychiatry Unit at the Albert Road Clinic which specialises in the assessment and treatment of complex mood and anxiety disorders. His research interests include neuropsychiatry, psychopharmacology and clinical aspects of mood and anxiety disorders.

Prof Chee is Professor and Healthscope Chair of Psychiatry and Director of the Professorial Psychiatry Unit of The Melbourne Clinic. He is also Director of the Asia-Australia Mental Health at Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Site Director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, and past Secretary General of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists.

Dr Seetal Dodd has an outstanding track record of research into treatment for psychiatric disorders, including involvement in numerous clinical trials and a special interest in drug safety. His experience and expertise extends through all stages of drug development, from preclinical laboratory based drug development through to investigations of established pharmacotherapies.

Dr Tye has developed an internationally recognised and multidisciplinary translational neuroscience research program focussed on elucidating neurobiological mechanisms contributing to treatment non-response in refractory depression. Her research has actively contributed to the development of animal models for stress-induced mood dysregulation and antidepressant treatment resistance.  

Jerome Sarris is Professor of Integrative Mental Health at NICM Health Research Institute at Westmead, Western Sydney University. He is the Co-Director of Psychae Institute, also holding a Visiting Scientist appointment at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne University. Jerome has a particular interest in mood and anxiety disorder research pertaining to psychotropic plant medicines (in particular on Kava, medicinal cannabis, and psychedelics), and Lifestyle Medicine.

Prof Sean McGee currently heads the Metabolic Reprogramming Laboratory, within the Metabolic Research Unit at Deakin University. A/Prof McGee has developed world-class expertise in metabolic phenotyping using extracellular flux technology, which has been showcased in his publications in highly regarded journals such as Cell, Cell Metabolism and Cell Reports.

Prof Siskind works as a psychiatrist at Queensland Health’s Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. His research interests include clozapine and treatment refractory schizophrenia, the physical health of people with severe and persistent mental illness, supported accommodation, assertive community treatment and mental health services research.

Dr Alyna Turner is a Research Fellow/Trial Coordinator at Deakin University. Dr Turner has worked with people with comorbid conditions (mental health/ substance misuse/ physical health conditions) in a clinical and research capacity for over 16 years, with expertise in the development and evaluation of novel therapies (psychological and pharmacological).

Anna Wrobel is completing her PhD with IMPACT TRIALS. In her project, Anna is exploring how trauma affects the treatment outcomes of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the hope to inform future clinical guidelines and practice.

Supervisors: Prof Michael Berk, Prof Sue Cotton, A/Prof Olivia Dean, Dr Alyna Turner

Alongside his clinical work as a consultant psychiatrist, Dr Malcolm Forbes is exploring the role of inflammatory biomarkers in geriatric depression for his PhD – working towards more effective treatments for older people with depression.

Supervisors: Professor Michael Berk (primary); A/Prof Adrienne O’Neil; Dr Mohammadreza Mohebbi

Dr Jessica Green is a Consultant Psychiatrist, and PhD Candidate with the Food and Mood Centre, Deakin University. In her clinical work, Jessica is working as a community psychiatrist at Peninsula Health. She has a sub-specialty in psychotherapy, specifically Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  Regarding her research, she is interested in the exciting and emerging field of the Gut-Brain Axis, and Lifestyle Medicine and is passionate about a holistic approach to mental health. Jessica is running the Moving Moods Study, investigating a human microbiota transfer therapy for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adults.

Supervisors: Professor Felice Jacka (Primary), Professor David Castle, Professor Michael Berk, Associate Professor Chris Hair, Dr Amy Loughman, Professor Andrew Nierenbberg, Professor John Cryan

Dr Zoe Liu is a Research Fellow at the Metabolic Research Unit, Deakin University, working on the discovery of biomarkers in clinical trials and longitudinal cohorts. Her research focus is to identify clinically relevant biomarkers associated with mental health disorders, metabolic diseases and bone health.

Supervisors: Ken Walder

Awarded the 2021–2022 Trisno Family Fellowship, generously endowed by the Trisno Family, Dr Adam Walker is investigating blood-based biological markers of treatment-response in several randomised control trials for psychiatric disorders.

Dr Bruno Agustini is a Research Fellow looking at drugs that might be repurposed as potential treatment and preventive strategies for psychiatric disorders. His research explores data from large clinical trials and longitudinal cohorts to identify possible therapeutic candidates.