Vid Mlakar is a PhD student in the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. Vid’s work primarily investigates telomere biology in individuals affected by severe mental health disorders. His work examines the potential aetiology of differences in telomere biology between psychiatric populations and unaffected individuals (e.g., genetics, lifestyle, stress), as well as investigates the relevant clinical correlates associated with such pathophysiology (e.g., cognition).

Vid is also working on the Margaret Temple-funded project together with Dr Monica Aas and Dr Elise Halff, investigating telomere length attrition in people with psychosis compared to healthy controls in a longitudinal dataset, and whether having a healthy lifestyle can protect the telomeres when faced with stressful life events.

Research interests

• Telomere biology
• Lifestyle (diet, exercise, sleep substance use)
• Stress
• Genetics
• Psychopathology

Teaching

Vid is an active GTA who has taught seminars and marked coursework across several modules on the BSc Psychology course (Psychology and the Brain; Psychology and Society, etc.).