Dr Tertia Purves-Tyson is a Senior Research Scientist and Head of the Preclinical Neuropsychiatry Laboratory at NeuRA. She studies how hormones, neurotrophins and neuroinflammation shape neurotransmitter systems, focusing on dopamine dysregulation in maternal immune activation (MIA) models relevant to autism and schizophrenia. Her work examines sex- and age-specific molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural changes in psychiatric illness.

A strong advocate for incorporating sex and gender in biomedical research, she serves on the Steering Committee and chairs the Preclinical Working Group for the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine. She is the past President of Biological Psychiatry Australia (2023-2025). Her research is supported by a NSW Health Schizophrenia Research Grant and philanthropic funding, building on past NHMRC-funded projects on estrogen receptor modulation and neurotransmitter systems. She has made key discoveries in midbrain molecular pathology, neuroinflammation and complement pathways in schizophrenia, and sex-specific responses in the MIA model.

Dr Purves-Tyson has supervised Honours, Masters and PhD students and teaches neuropharmacology and neurophysiology. She holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Manchester, an MSc in Medicine, and degrees from the University of Cape Town.