About
Dr Luis M García-Marín is a bioinformatician with expertise in computational neurogenomics. He is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Florey Next Generation Award, conferred by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) for demonstrating outstanding capability, creativity and potential in the biomedical sciences and/or health and medical research.
He graduated from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in Guadalajara, Mexico with a B. Sc. In Biotechnology Engineering in 2020. He conducted his PhD at QIMR Berghofer and the University of Queensland, where he led a landmark study, including 75,000 participants from 19 countries, on the genetic basis of brain shape and size and its relationship with neuropsychiatric disorders (Nature Genetics, 2024). Luis has received several accolades, including the 2021 Enrico Greppi International Migraine Research Award, the Lindon Eaves Award by the Institute of Behavioural Genetics in the United States, and the silver medal at the XXV Biology Regional Olympiad hosted by The Mexican Academy of Sciences.
Research Skills
- Genome-wide association studies
- Data Analysis
- Python/R programming
- Linux
Area of Interest
- Neuroanatomy
- Brain-related disorders
- Human behaviour
Professional Associations
- Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR)
- Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2)
Awards & Honours
2024
- Florey Next Generation Award – Australian Institute of Policy and Science
Recognised for outstanding capability, creativity, and potential in biomedical sciences and health and medical research.
2023
- People’s Choice Award – QIMR Student Symposium
Awarded for the best oral poster presentation. - Travel Award – Shake It Up Australia Foundation
Supported attendance at the 6th World Parkinson’s Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
2022
- Travel Award – Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2)
Supported attendance at GP2’s annual meeting in Madrid, Spain. - Travel Award – International Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Society (MDS)
Supported attendance at the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Madrid, Spain.
2021
- Enrico Greppi Award – Italian Society for the Study of Headaches (SSIC) & European Headache Federation (EHF)
Awarded for the best original paper on clinical, epidemiological, genetic, pathophysiological, or therapeutic aspects of headache. - Merit-Based Scholarships – The University of Queensland
Research Training and Tuition Fee Offset & Research Training Stipend for a PhD program. - Travel Award – Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2)
Supported attendance at the GP2 Genomics of Brain Disorders Conference in the United Kingdom.
2020
- Lindon Eaves Award – International Statistical Genetics Workshop, Boulder, USA
Awarded for Best Student Poster Presentation. - Academic Excellence Award – Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Guadalajara, Mexico
Recognised for achieving the highest GPA in the Biotechnology Engineering program. - Academic Excellence & Best Student Project Award – ITESM
For research on the aetiology of snoring published in Nature Communications and attendance at the 14th GeneMappers Conference in Sydney, Australia.
2015
- Silver Medal – XXV Biology Regional Olympiad, Mexican Academy of Sciences, Guadalajara, Mexico
Publications
García-Marín LM*, Campos AI*, et al. Genomic analysis of intracranial and subcortical brain volumes yields polygenic scores accounting for variation across ancestries. Nature Genetics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01951-z
Campos AI*, García-Marín LM*, Byrne EM, Martin NG, Cuéllar-Partida G, & Rentería ME (2020). Insights into the aetiology of snoring from observational and genetic investigations in the U.K. Biobank. Nature Communications, 11(1), 817. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14625-1
García-Marín LM, Reyes-Pérez P, Diaz-Torres S et al. Shared molecular genetic factors influence subcortical brain morphometry and Parkinson’s disease risk. npj Parkinsons Disease. 9, 73 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-023-00515-y