From Bios to Bits: Investigating the Moderation Effect of Genetics and Digital Footprint on Treatment Response
Method Stream: Longitudinal Intensive Methods
ECs: Only 14 EC (standard, no new/own data collection. Applicable in case of a clinical internship)
Description:
In this assignment, the student will investigate whether genes interact with psychosomatic complaints measured via experience sampling methods and whether this interaction moderates the response to treatment of a psychosomatic disorder. Students will incorporate genetic and DD data collected via an app in this assignment. The data for this assignment has already been collected and pre-processed, as it is part of a larger project, where a multi-arm RCT was conducted for a psychosomatic disorder.
For more information on the study where the data comes from:
https://uniti.tinnitusresearch.net/
For more information on gene X environment analysis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene%E2%80%93environment_interaction
For an example of similar analysis:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acps.12789
Who are we looking for?
We are interested in a curious, ambitious, and dedicated student willing to learn new skills. Being familiar or willingness to learn on how to work with R is critical. No background in genetics or similar fields is necessary, familiarity with hierarchical models (also known as multilevel or mixed-models) is desired but not mandatory. No skills on data preprocessing are necessary.
What do we offer?
We offer close supervision, as both the primary and secondary supervisors are highly invested in the project idea and learning outcomes