Dr Aicha Massrali
Deputy Research Lead at the University of Cambridge
Dr Aicha Massrali
Dr Aicha Massrali
About
Massrali is deputy research lead in the EDUCAUS program at the autism research centre of the University of Cambridge. She holds a PhD in psychiatry from the University of Cambridge.
Current research
My current research focuses on autism in a multidisciplinary way. During her doctorate and post-doctorate degrees, Massrali studied the neurobiology of autism using induced pluripotent stem cells. Currently, she is focusing on how research in autism can inform policies that promote for autism rights and inclusion in Europe.
Future research vision
Future research will focus global mental health (including but not restricted to autism) in low and middle income countries (Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
Key publications

Van Kessel, R et al. Autism and Education - The Role of Europeanisation in South-Eastern Europe: Policy Mapping in Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. Children & Society, 2022.

Massrali, A et al. Virus-induced MIA as an Environmental Factor in the Aetiology of Autism and Schizophrenia. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2022.

Adhya, D et al. Environmental Pressures on Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance: An Evolutionary Development Mechanism Influencing Atypical Neurodevelopment in Autism? The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour, 2020.

Massrali, A et al. The Epigenetics of Autism. Chromatin Signaling and Neurological Disorders, 2019.

Massrali, A et al. Integrated Genetic and Methylomic Analyses Identify Shared Biology between Autism and Autistic Traits. Molecular Autism, 2019.

Key awards

Terry Hart Prize, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge.

PhD Scholarship, Cambridge Trust and Jameel Education Foundation.

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