Our Team

Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge

Simon is the Principal Investigator of Spectrum 10K and the Director of the Autism Research Centre. He is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. As Principal Investigator, Simon is responsible for all aspects of the Spectrum 10K project.

His basic autism research spans the psychology and biology of autism, and his applied autism research includes intervention, prevalence, education, mental health and the criminal justice system.

Daniel Geschwind, Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics, Neurology and Psychiatry University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Daniel is a Co-Principal Investigator of Spectrum 10K and the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics, Neurology and Psychiatry at UCLA. In his capacity as Senior Associate Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor of Precision Health, he leads the Institute for Precision Health at UCLA. As part of the Spectum 10K Principal Investigator team, Daniel oversees and directs the study design and scientific integrity.

Daniel's laboratory has pioneered the application of systems biology methods in neurologic and psychiatric disease, fostering large-scale collaborative patient resources for genetic research and data sharing in autism research.

Matthew Hurles, Head of Human Genetics and Senior Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Matthew is a Co-Principal Investigator of Spectrum 10K and Head of Human Genetics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. As part of the Spectum 10K Principal Investigator team, Matthew oversees and directs the study design and scientific integrity.

Matthew leads a research group focused on deciphering the genetic causes of severe developmental disorders, and understanding how DNA mutates as it is passed from generation to generation. Matthew also leads the Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) Study.

Hilary Martin, Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Hilary is a Co-Principal Investigator of Spectrum 10K and a Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. As part of the Spectum 10K Principal Investigator team, Hilary oversees and directs the study design and scientific integrity.

Hilary's work focuses on the analysis of high-throughput sequence and genotype data from large cohorts to address various medical and population genetic questions.

David Rowitch, Head of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge

David is a Co-Principal Investigator of Spectrum 10K and a Professor and Head of Paediatrics at the University of Cambridge, and he holds a joint appointment at UCSF (Pediatrics and Neurological Surgery). As part of the Spectum 10K Principal Investigator team, David oversees and directs the study design and scientific integrity.

Professor Rowitch is a neonatologist and neuroscientist whose laboratory investigates genetic factors that determine development and diversity of glial cells of the brain and the response to injury.

Carrie Allison, Director of Research Strategy, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge

Carrie is the Director of Research Strategy at the Autism Research Centre, and is responsible for the governance of Spectrum 10K and also overseeing the collection of data on Spectrum 10K.

Carrie's research interests include early diagnosis of autism, as well as autism research in intervention, prevalence, education, mental health and the criminal justice system.

Varun Warrier, Assistant Professor, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge

Varun is an Assistant Professor at the Autism Research Centre and Director of the Neurodevelopmental Research Group. He is leading the analysis of the data collected by Spectrum 10K.

Varun's research interests include the genetics of autism, autistic traits, and related neurodevelopmental conditions, conducting genome wide association studies.

Isabelle Garvey, Project Co-ordinator, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge

Isabelle is a Project Co-ordinator at the Autism Research Centre and is jointly responsible for coordinating all aspects of Spectrum 10K . Isabelle has worked in a variety of research fields within the NHS including women's health, diabetes and rheumatology, and has a keen interest in mental health research.

Armandina (Mina) Almanza Gutierrez, Project Co-ordinator, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge

Mina is a Project Co-ordinator at the Autism Research Centre and is jointly responsible for coordinating all aspects of Spectrum 10K.  Mina has a MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences and has previously worked in a genetic study of childhood schizophrenia. 

Simon Braschi, Database Manager, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge

Simon is a Database Manager at the Autism Research Centre and is responsible for the secure collection and curation of the data collected as part of Spectrum 10K. Simon has a degree in Biology, a PhD in Proteomics and has many years of experience working with data.