Farnaz Sourani

Short presentation

Researcher and project manager with a background in environmental epigenetics, stress biology, molecular biology, and NGS data analysis. My PhD focused on how early-life stress affects DNA methylation across chicken brain regions. I now work in RE-MEND, an EU-funded project on environmental risk factors, epigenetics, and mental health, supporting project coordination, communication, stakeholder engagement, guideline development, and research dissemination.

Keywords

• Environmental epigenetics; Epigenomics; DNA methylation; Early-life stress; Stress biology; Brain development; Mental health; Next-generation sequencing; NGS data analysis; Bioinformatics; Molecular biology; Project management; Research dissemination.

Research

My research focuses on environmental epigenetics, stress biology, molecular mechanisms of early-life exposures, and next-generation sequencing data analysis. During my PhD at Uppsala University, I studied the impact of early-life stress on DNA methylation across multiple brain regions in a chicken model.

The project combined wet-lab and dry-lab approaches, including molecular sample preparation, DNA methylation-based workflows, generation and processing of NGS data, bioinformatics analysis, and biological interpretation of large-scale epigenomic datasets. I worked with longitudinal and tissue-specific data to investigate how early environmental conditions may shape epigenetic patterns over time and across brain regions.

My research aimed to identify molecular signatures associated with early stress exposure and to better understand how environmental factors can influence epigenetic regulation, brain development, and stress-related biological pathways. This included analysing differential methylation patterns, genomic annotation, and tissue- and age-specific epigenetic variation.

I am currently interested in how environmental exposures, epigenetics, sensitive life stages, sex differences, and biological vulnerability contribute to mental health-related mechanisms. In my current work within RE-MEND, I contribute to a research environment that connects environmental health, epigenetics, and mental health, with a focus on translating scientific findings into communication, guidelines, and policy-relevant outputs.

Media

Doctoral thesis: Early-Life Stress and the Avian Epigenome

Ontogenetic Responses in DNA Methylation and miRNA in Gallus gallus domesticus

https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A2019457&dswid=9022