Ziarih Hawi

Ziarih Hawi is a Senior Research Fellow at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health within Monash University's School of Psychological Sciences. As a molecular geneticist, their career has focused on identifying genetic risk factors for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), pioneering methods such as candidate gene approaches, whole exome sequencing, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). They lead the functional genomics lab and have contributed to landmark discoveries, including the identification of 12 novel ADHD risk loci through the Psychiatric Genetic Consortium (PGC).

Research interests center on

• Genetic susceptibility loci for neurodevelopmental disorders
• Functional validation of ADHD/ASD risk genes
• Cellular disease modelling using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)
• Gene-environment interactions in neurodevelopment
• Epigenetic mechanisms in ADHD
• CRISPR/Cas9 applications for genetic research

Recent publications emphasize ADHD-related gene studies (DUSP6, SNAP25, SLC6A3), iPSC-based disease models, and population genetic analyses. Collaborations span the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Department of Health and Aged Care (Australia), and ARC-funded projects on neural plasticity and cognitive function.

At Monash University since 2012, they have mentored Honours, MSc, and PhD students while developing genetic research programs for Huntington's disease, sleep disorders, and neurodegeneration. Their lab integrates advanced DNA editing techniques to enhance cellular disease modelling homogeneity and has secured funding for projects like "Cellular Modelling of ADHD Risk Genes" and "CogChip: Genotyping Executive Function".