Summer School in Brain Disorders Research
Our annual Summer School in Brain Disorders Research is held at one of the world's leading centres on neuropsychiatric genetics and genomics.
Our four-day course takes place at the Hadyn Ellis Building, run by the team based in the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) at Cardiff University.
The summer school aims 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.
2025 programme
Monday 14 July
| 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 | Laboratory tour in small groups and coffee while you wait Prof Nigel Williams and team |
| 15:30 | High-throughput sequencing tour, part two: analysis and interpretation of sequencing data Dr Elliott Rees |
| 16:15 | Copy number variations (CNVs) in neurodevelopmental disorders Professor George Kirov |
| 17:00 | Check-in at Senghennydd Hall for those with booked accommodation |
Tuesday 15 July
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast is provided at the Hadyn Ellis Building |
| 09:00 | Using MRI to understand mental disorders Dr Xavier Caseras |
| 09:45 | Neuroimaging tour of CUBRIC and coffee whilst you wait Professor Neil Harrison and team |
| 12:00 | Reproductive psychiatry and the effect of gender and sex on mental health Professor Arianna Di Florio |
| 12:45 | Lunch |
| 13:30 | Imaging epilepsy Dr Khalid Hamandi |
| 14:15 | Coffee |
| 14:45 | Movement disorders phenotypes and genetics Dr Kathryn Peall |
| 15:30 | Huntington's disease: translating genetics into therapies |
Wednesday 16 July
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast is provided at the Hadyn Ellis Building |
| 09:00 | Emerging technologies (CRISPR-Cas9, single cell sequencing and others) Dr Yasir Syed / Prof Adrian Harwood |
| 09:45 | Making neurons from stem cells: laboratory tour and coffee Dr Yasir Syed |
| 11:15 | Why is this the best of times for neuroscience in psychiatry Prof Jeremy Hall |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Parallel talks: Research careers in medicine |
| 13:45 | Drug Discovery in Psychiatry Dr Gerry Dawson, CEO of P1vital LTD |
| 14:30 | Coffee |
| 15:00 | Genetics of epilepsy Dr Rhys Thomas, Newcastle (via Teams) |
| 15:45 | Psychedelics and psychiatry Dr Mathew D Hoskins |
| 16:30 | Pizzas and posters |
Thursday 17 July
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast is provided at the Hadyn Ellis Building |
| 09:00 | A developmental approach to understanding child and adolescent mental health |
| 09:45 | Measuring risk for Alzheimer’s Disease Professor Valentina Escott-Price |
| 10:30 | Coffee |
| 11:00 | Workshop: Social and ethical aspects of genetic testing Dr Kimberley Kendall and Professor George Kirov |
| 12:00 | Advances in the genetics of psychiatric disorders Professor James Walters |
| 12:45 | Lunch and farewell |
Speakers
The programme is delivered by experts in their respective fields.
- Professor James Walters
- Professor George Kirov
- Professor Nigel Williams
- Dr Elliott Rees
- Dr Xavier Caseras
- Professor Arianna Di Florio
- Dr Khalid Hamandi
- Dr Kathryn Peall
- Dr Tom Massey
- Dr Yasir Syed
- Professor Adrian Harwood
- Professor Jeremy Hall
- Dr Jack Underwood
- Dr Will Davies
- Dr Gerry Dawson
- Dr Rhys Thomas
- Dr Mathew D Hoskins
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.
Accommodation
Free student accommodation is available for attendees travelling from outside Cardiff.
Applications are now open
To apply for this year’s summer school:
- Complete the application form which will ask you why you want to attend the summer school and how you think it will benefit you in 600 words maximum.
- Send us a short CV to cnggsummerschool@cardiff.ac.uk
The closing date for applications is 8 June 2025. Good luck!
Contact us
For more information, contact: