Dr Katherine Drummond
BBMed(Hons), PhD

Dr Katherine Drummond is a Research Officer at The Florey. She completed her PhD studies in 2021 at the University of Melbourne, in the field of biological psychiatry. This laboratory work aimed to dissect the biological underpinnings by which early life exposures impact the development of fear behaviours. This allows for progress towards our understanding of the roles of environmental factors in the aetiology of anxiety- and fear- disorders.

Working within the Florey Institute’s Early Brain Division, Dr Drummond is now using her training to investigate the complex relationships between early life chemical exposures, genetic variation, childhood neurodevelopment, with a strong interest on ‘omic data (genomic, epigenomic, metabolomic platforms). Her research uses prospective cohort studies in Australia (Barwon Infant Study) and internationally (ABCD). She is particularly focused on improving neurodevelopmental outcomes through: Primary public health prevention, risk stratification in early life, novel interventions, and precision medicine.

Dr Drummond is committed to developing a unique skill set that bridges neuroscience and public health, ultimately contributing to the evolving field of biological psychiatry, with the aim of making a ‘real world’ difference.