Celia van der Merwe

Celia van der Merwe currently works as the Research Director for the NeuroDev study, taking an active leadership role in study coordination, team management, collaboration, and operational oversight. She obtained her PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa in 2015, where she studied the molecular effects of mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. She completed a 3-year postdoc at the University of Cape Town with a focus on genetic variation and correlation between psychiatric disorders and brain structure.

Celia’s second postdoc in the Robinson lab at the Broad Institute considered heterogeneity across cases and cohorts affected with autism, and common and rare genetic influences on autism. She hopes to continue to apply her knowledge in psychiatric genetics and her passion for including underrepresented and vulnerable populations in research, and to teach, train and mentor young students.