Roel A. Ophoff

Roel A. Ophoff is a Professor-in-residence in both the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the Department of Human Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on human genetic and genomic studies of psychiatric disorders and neurobehavioral traits, with a particular emphasis on bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. He holds a PhD in Human Genetics from Leiden University (1997).

• Education: PhD in Human Genetics, Leiden University, 1997
• Affiliations:
  • UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
  • UCLA Department of Human Genetics
  • Member of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium

His work bridges clinical psychiatry and genetics, leveraging large-scale genomic analyses to uncover biological mechanisms underlying mental health conditions. Ophoff has contributed to landmark studies on genetic risk variants, epigenetic aging, and polygenic risk scores for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. He collaborates with international consortia such as ENIGMA and PUMAS to address health disparities in underrepresented populations.

Recent research highlights include:

• Circulating metabolite mapping in cerebrospinal fluid for Alzheimer’s disease progression
• Wastewater sequencing for public health surveillance
• Cell-type-specific gene expression analysis in neuropsychiatric disorders

His studies frequently integrate multi-omics data (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics) to dissect complex trait biology. Ophoff also explores translational applications of genetic findings, such as improving diagnostic accuracy and personalized medicine strategies.