Meet the team

More About Us

Professor Elvira Bramon | Chief Investigator

I am the Chief Investigator on the Pharmacogenetics project. I completed my medical degree at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, followed by early specialist psychiatry training (MIR) at the Hospital Mútua de Terrassa – Universitat de Barcelona. In 1999 I moved to the Institute of Psychiatry – King’s College London and Maudsley Hospital to do my PhD and further training in psychiatry. I have always combined research, clinical and teaching activities. My academic posts at the Institute of Psychiatry included clinical lecturer and reader in psychiatry along with at the Maudsley Hospital initially as associate specialist and by 2005 as consultant psychiatrist. At the Institute I held a Welcome Trust research training fellowship, subsequently a NIHR post-doctoral fellowship and most recently a MRC New Investigator Award. I joined UCL in 2012 as reader in biological psychiatry and I'm now based at the Division of Psychiatry and the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. More about Elvira > 

Dr Stephen Murtough | Research Fellow

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow exploring the genetics and pharmacogenetics of psychosis and schizophrenia. I first trained as a clinical pharmacist, before studying for an MSc and PhD at Queen Mary University of London's medical school. I then worked as Associate Editor at Nature Cancer, before moving back into academic research at Imperial College London, prior to beginning my research here at UCL. More about Stephen > 

Dr Daniele Panconesi | Specialty Doctor

I am currently working as a Specialty Doctor in General Adult Psychiatry in Brent, CNWL NHS Trust. After completing an MSc in Mental Health Research Sciences at the UCL, I have started to work as an Associate Staff/ Visiting Researcher with the Mental Health Neuroscience team at UCL, and I am researching how Pharmacogenomic testing can be applied to guide antipsychotic treatment.

Lauren Varney | Research Assistant

I am a Research Assistant within the team. I completed my BSc in Psychology with a Year in Employment at the University of Southampton, during which I did a placement in neuropsychology. I then moved to UCL to complete my MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences, where I developed an interest in the role of genetics in mental health.

Maria Richards-Brown | Research Assistant

I am a Research Assistant within the team. I completed my BA in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. I then completed my MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at UCL, which is where I discovered my interest in how genetics can contribute to personalised medicine in mental health. More about Maria >

Oriella Stellakis | Research Assistant

I have been working as a research assistant in the team since May 2025. Prior to this role, I earned a BSc in Neuroscience from Queen Mary University of London, where I became fascinated in mental health research. I then completed an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at University College London, where I developed a particular interest in genetics and its ability to individualise treatment to those with mental health disorders. More about Oriella >

Marius Cotic | PhD Student and Research Assistant

I am a part-time PhD student and Research Assistant at UCL since October 2020. Before I started working at UCL on rapid COVID-19 sequencing, I completed an MSc in Pharmacology at the University of Oxford, specialising in neuropharmacology and antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. My PhD builds upon my interest in neuropharmacology and personalised medicine, focusing on the identification and characterisation of the effect of high-risk mutations that predispose individuals to psychosis. More about Marius >

Contact

For all enquiries, please contact the UCL study team at gems@ucl.ac.uk or nlft.gems@nhs.net

Chief Investigator: Elvira Bramon, e.bramon@ucl.ac.uk