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Professor Julie Williams PhD

Professor of Neuropsychological Genetics
University of Wales College of Medicine
Cardiff

Julie Williams heads the BB Unit. In 1991 with a degree and PhD in Psychology Julie joined the Schizophrenia Genetics Research Team at the Department of Psychological Medicine, UWCM. With her interests in phenotypic definition, cognition in schizophrenia and statistical analysis, she contributed to a number of studies, including the association of the Dopamine D3 Receptor Gene and the Serotonin 5HT2A Receptor Gene with schizophrenia.

In 1995 she began working on a project to identify novel genes for Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease, working with Mike Owen and Simon Lovestone (Institute of Psychiatry, London). With collaborators in the US, the AD Genetics Group was the first to publish a powerful genome screen which produced significant evidence of linkage to a region of chromosome 10.

Currently she is a Principle Investigator on a number of projects funded by the Medical Research Council, the Alzheimer's Society and the Alzheimer's Research Trust, to identify novel genes for Late Onset Alzheimer's disease and to collect the largest sample of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and matched well controls, available to the AD genetics research community.

In 1996 she began work on a project to identify novel genes contributing to Developmental Dyslexia (Reading Disability), funded by the Wellcome Research Trust and the PPP Foundation. This project has produced significant evidence of association between genetic variation in chromosome 6 and chromosome 15 with Developmental Dyslexia, using families collected from within the UK. She is currently also involved in the management of the Wales Gene Park and the UK Biobank Project.

In 2001 Julie Williams was made Professor of Neuropsychological Genetics.