Roel Ophoff

Roel Ophoff is a Professor-in-residence in both Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Human Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. His research focuses on the genetic architecture of complex human traits, particularly neuropsychiatric disorders and neurobehavioral traits including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

• Professor-in-residence, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
• Professor-in-residence, Human Genetics
• Co-director of NINDS-funded postdoctoral T32 training program in Neurobehavioral Genetics

Dr. Ophoff earned his PhD in Human Genetics from Leiden University in the Netherlands in 1997. His academic journey has established him as a leading researcher in psychiatric genetics with a focus on genomic approaches to complex disorders.

• PhD, Human Genetics, Leiden University, Netherlands (1997)

Dr. Ophoff's research program applies genomic approaches to study the role of genetic variation, gene expression, and epigenetic changes in disease susceptibility and progression. His work spans multiple psychiatric disorders with a particular emphasis on bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He employs advanced genomic techniques including genome-wide association studies, whole genome sequencing, and epigenetic analyses to uncover the biological mechanisms underlying these complex disorders. His research often involves large-scale collaborative efforts and international consortia to increase statistical power and ensure findings are robust across diverse populations. Dr. Ophoff has pioneered approaches to investigate gene expression in fibroblasts as an in vitro model for circadian studies and has made significant contributions to understanding the genetic overlap between psychiatric disorders.

Analysis of Dr. Ophoff's recent publications reveals a strong focus on genomic approaches to understanding psychiatric disorders, particularly bipolar disorder. His work increasingly incorporates diverse populations, examines cross-disorder genetic relationships, and applies advanced statistical methods to refine risk gene identification. Recent publications show expansion into areas including metabolomics, circadian biology, and computational approaches to genomic data analysis. His research demonstrates how genetic studies can inform clinical understanding of psychiatric disorders and potentially lead to improved diagnostic and treatment approaches.

Dr. Ophoff serves as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on numerous NIH-funded research projects totaling millions of dollars in funding. His current portfolio includes grants from NIMH, NINDS, NIA, and NIGMS focusing on bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, frontotemporal dementia, and methodological approaches in psychiatric genetics. Notably, he co-directs an NINDS-funded postdoctoral T32 training program in Neurobehavioral Genetics, demonstrating his commitment to training the next generation of researchers in this field. His laboratory employs a range of genomic technologies and computational approaches to investigate the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Ophoff is actively involved in several research consortia and collaborative initiatives focused on psychiatric genetics. His work often involves large international collaborations such as the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, where he contributes to genome-wide association studies of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He has also been instrumental in projects addressing underrepresented populations in mental illness research, including the PUMAS Project. His laboratory employs a range of genomic technologies and computational approaches to investigate the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders, with particular emphasis on translating genetic findings into biological understanding.