Close
Student Profile
Eleonora Iob
About me/education
I graduated with a first class BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Manchester in 2016. Based on my academic achievement, I was then awarded a full-tuition scholarship for an MSc in Social Statistics at The University of Manchester, which I completed with distinction. In 2017, I began my PhD at University College London within the Soc-B Centre for Doctoral Training in Biosocial Research, jointly funded by the ESRC and BBSRC.
My research
My research focuses on the interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors in the aetiology of mental health problems.
As part of my first project rotation, I studied the effect of social support on hair cortisol using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). For my second rotation, I instead examined genetic influences on substance use in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
My PhD project will investigate the effect of early-life psychosocial adversity on stress responses and vulnerability to mental health problems across the life course, accounting for the role of genetic factors underlying psychopathology risk. To this end, I will integrate environmental, biological and genetic data, using a longitudinal design to capture the temporal sequence of such relationships.
The difference my research makes
My research will improve our understanding of the role of genetic and environmental factors in the aetiology of psychopathology, shedding light on the neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in these associations. Ultimately, such knowledge will have the potential to inform interventions for the treatment of mental health difficulties and identify those individuals at greatest risk early in development.
Supervisors: Professor Andrew Steptoe.