Poppy Grimes on using genomic and epidemiological approaches to investigate depression

Please tell us about your research project and how your work involves genomics or makes use of genomic technologies 

My research project uses genomic and epidemiological approaches for understanding heterogeneity in adolescent depression. In my genomics research, I use population-based methods such as genome-wide association (GWAS) to identify specific genetic variants associated with adolescent depression and polygenic risk scores to quantify an individual’s risk and determine how that risk is associated with longitudinal patterns of depression, as well as other factors. 

Please summarise your previous work and career so far.

I completed a BSc in Biology and MSc In Neuroscience both at the University of Sussex. My background was more in neuroimaging, but I seem to have somehow fallen into genetics! I’m in the third year of my PhD and so far, have published my first paper which investigates multi-trait polygenic risk using genomic structural equation modelling of depression trajectories across adolescent development. I am currently working on an international meta-analysis GWAS of adolescent-onset depression and a couple of symptom network analysis projects. After my PhD I’m hoping to get a postdoc position in Australia!

What inspired you to follow your career path?

I care a lot about mental health. It is both important to me and those around me. I have lost a few close people in my life to suicide, all at young ages, hence why I am so invested in better understanding depression in young people where so much important biological and social development unfolds. 

On a self-interested level, I love research. Going down rabbit holes that I’m interested in, learning new methods on the go and then applying them to the large longitudinal datasets is a privilege to be able to explore. I hope that something of my work forms a small piece of the puzzle of depression aetiology that will have downstream clinical benefit.

If you could have tea with anyone (alive or dead), who would it be? What would you talk about?

Probably my grandpa. He died when I was young so I would love to get to know him as an adult. He was high commissioner for the Indian government and president of the UN security council. He had incredible stories of a diplomatic life across the world, being posted to many countries from Algeria to Australia, and surviving an assassination attempt in Bangladesh!

Do you have any advice for people wanting to pursue a research career? What do you like best about your job? What do you like the least?

If you are thinking about a PhD, the most important thing is to have a supervisor(s) with whom you have good relationships. Having both invested and compassionate mentors is essential – which I am lucky to have. I really believe this will make or break your research experience.

I love that I am able to pursue something I enjoy and care about, feel challenged by and that has the luxury of autonomy and flexibility day-to-day. 

I have found the isolated working style quite difficult sometimes, and of course the low-income sucks.

How do you spend your time outside of research? Is there anything else you would like to tell us about? 

I like to move as much as possible when I’m not staring at the screen. I practice yoga most days, also run regularly and love cycling. When I have more time, I love to travel, particularly to the mountains for hiking trips.

Links

Poppy Grimes Twitter/X Profile (external link) 

Poppy Grimes Bluesky Profile (external link)

Poppy Grimes LinkedIn Profile (external link)

Lifecourse Epidemiology and Psychiatry Research Group (external link)