Rate My Professor William Reay

Dr William Reay served as a postdoctoral researcher and statistical geneticist in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the Faculty of Health and Medicine at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and was associated with the Hunter Medical Research Institute. He completed his PhD at the University of Newcastle in 2020, focusing his doctoral research on the genetic architecture of schizophrenia and its relationship to substance use disorders. Reay's research employs an interdisciplinary approach, utilizing principles of systems biology and advanced statistical methods to interpret large-scale genomic data. His primary objectives are to identify genetic factors underlying complex human diseases, uncover opportunities for drug development and repurposing, and create precision medicine tools and companion diagnostics to match patients with optimal treatments. He has conducted studies across diverse areas including mental health disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases, while regularly collaborating with clinicians and basic scientists.

Reay has published numerous first-author manuscripts in high-impact journals. Notable works include 'Advancing the use of genome-wide association studies for drug repurposing' in Nature Reviews Genetics (2021), 'The role of the retinoids in schizophrenia: genomic and clinical perspectives' in Molecular Psychiatry (2020), 'Genetic estimates of correlation and causality between blood-based biomarkers and psychiatric disorders' in Science Advances (2022), 'Genetics-informed precision treatment formulation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder' in the American Journal of Human Genetics (2022), 'Genetic association and causal inference converge on hyperglycaemia as a modifiable factor to improve lung function' in eLife (2021), and contributions to the ENIGMA Consortium on cortical structure in schizophrenia. His research has amassed over 2,000 citations on Google Scholar, reflecting significant influence in statistical genetics, neuropsychiatry, and therapeutic development. Reay received the Faculty Medal from the Faculty of Health and Medicine and the Dunkley Award for Biomedical Research from the University of Newcastle in 2017. He was selected for the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMINS) program by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2021 and attended the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting as one of nine young Australian scientists in 2023. Additionally, he was a finalist for the University of Newcastle Leadership Excellence Award in 2023, recognized for contributions to the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Early Career Research Association.