Aliza Werner-Seidler

Associate Professor Aliza Werner-Seidler is a researcher at the University of New South Wales (Faculty of Medicine) and the Black Dog Institute. Her work focuses on the prevention and early intervention of depression and anxiety in adolescents and young adults, with an emphasis on school-based implementation of evidence-based programs and targeting sleep disturbances as a therapeutic intervention. She leads the Future Proofing Study, a longitudinal cohort examining adolescent mental health risk factors, and advocates for mainstream integration of mental health prevention akin to vaccination programs.

• Prevention and treatment of depression/anxiety in youth
• School mental health implementation science
• Sleep disturbance as a therapeutic target
• Digital mental health (eHealth, iCBT) and blended care models
• Reducing gender disparities in mental health outcomes

She has secured major grants from the NHMRC, Medical Research Future Fund, and Goodman Foundation, and supervises PhD students working on sleep interventions, cognitive indicators of mental health, and school-based digital program implementation. Her research combines experimental studies, clinical trials, and AI-driven analysis of treatment optimization.

Scientific Awards

• 2022 Mid Career Award for Research Excellence (Australian Rotary Health)
• 2018 Young Tall Poppy Award
• 2017 Tracy Goodall Early Career Researcher Award
• 2015 British Psychological Society International Rising Star Award