Dr Seyhan Yazar

Dr Yazar is a medical scientist and computational biologist with expertise in complex disease genetics, particularly as it relates to the analysis of gene-environment interactions. She holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, which she earned in 2016 under the supervision of Professors David Mackey and Alex Hewitt. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Yazar collaborated on several research projects that focused on the design, methods, theory, and analysis of genetic and environmental factors in common complex diseases and associated traits. These projects utilised data from population-based studies. Upon the completion of her PhD, Dr. Yazar was awarded an NHMRC CJ Martin Biomedical Fellowship, which enabled her to receive specialised training in bioinformatics under the guidance of Professor Colin Semple at the MRC Human Genetics Unit of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After returning to Australia in late 2018, Dr. Yazar joined Professor Joseph Powell's laboratory at the Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics, where she successfully led the first phase of the OneK1K/TenK10K project. This project focused on identifying cell-type-specific biomarkers for autoimmune diseases and translating research findings into clinical practice. Dr Yazar was recruited as a Group Leader in the Precision Immunology Program at Garvan in 2024. Her overall ambition is to develop precision biomarkers to aid clinical decision making.