Dr. Cynthia Weickert

Biography

Professor Cynthia Shannon Weickert is the Macquarie Group Foundation Chair in Schizophrenia Research at the University of New South Wales. Combining her roles at both the Schizophrenia Research Institute and Neuroscience Research Australia, she has made seminal contributions to the conceptualization of schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Her pioneering work focuses on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and estrogen receptor interactions. Through leading studies that identified the birthplace of neuronal precursors in the human brain, she has shown the robust postnatal recruitment of cortical inhibitory neurons and the abnormalities in these processes associated with schizophrenia. Professor Weickert’s research challenges long-held assumptions about human brain development, including the nature of male-female differences in saliency and synaptic pruning. She is recognized as a leader in molecular mechanisms underlying human cortical development, with numerous impactful publications in the field, exploring the role of molecular mechanisms, hormones, and growth factors in controlling gene expression. Her experimental examinations of sex hormones reflect significant insights into social development during primate adolescence.

Research Interests

Experience