Dr Claire Shepherd

Dr. Claire Shepherd is an accomplished neuroscientist dedicated to advancing our understanding of brain ageing and neurodegeneration. She leads a program of research at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), investigating the neuropathology of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. Her research also explores the influence of environmental factors—such as head injuries and toxins—on brain health, shedding light on key mechanisms of disease.

Claire is also the Director of the Sydney Brain Bank (SBB), a globally recognized resource for human brain and spinal cord tissue research. Under her leadership, the SBB plays a crucial role in neurodegeneration and clinicopathological research, ensuring that high-quality, well-characterized tissue is available to support groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Her expertise in neuropathology has been instrumental in translating research from cellular and animal models into proof of principle in human disease, leading to major mechanistic and clinicopathological insights published in high-impact journals.

Claire’s research has importantly driven our understanding of population rates of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (the neuropathology of head injury) in the general Australian population and in athletes exposed to repetitive head injury. Her research has demonstrated multiple neuropathologies are common in these individuals, which significantly complicates clinical diagnostic efforts, and has identified associations between isolated head injury and pathologies found in ageing and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Claire’s previous research investigating the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s and Lewy body disease has identified changes in key molecules associated with the pathological hallmarks of disease, as well as identifying key drivers of neuroinflammation. Her work has also contributed to our understanding of how genetic risk factors impact dementia with Lewy body disease. Claire currently collaborates with the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health and the Minderoo Foundation to understand the impact of environmental toxins, including plastic particles and chemicals, on brain health.