My group integrates ancient and modern DNA within a multi-disciplinary and community-engaged research framework to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of humans, human-associated microbes, and faunal domesticates. Our current research investigates the genetic and adaptive histories of humans and their domesticates, interplay between human genetic and cultural histories, and the evolution of human pathogens and microbiome. Our interests span questions and applications in multiple fields, including population and evolutionary genetics, anthropology, and archaeology. We are also committed to advancing ethical and sustainable research practices in paleogenomics and to science outreach and communication. Through the implementation of multiple complementary projects set within the global context, our research will ultimately contribute to the understanding of evolutionary mechanisms that underlie adaptations and diseases among human populations.
University of Cambridge
UK
Senior Research Associate - Paleogenomics, Population genetics
2018
Natural History Museum of Denmark
Denmark
Postdoctoral researcher - Paleogenomics, Population genetics
2015
University of Copenhagen
Denmark
PhD - Paleogenomics (ancient DNA)
2011
University of Oxford
UK
MSc - Archaeological Sciences
2007
University of Toronto
Canada
BSc (Hons) - Molecular Biology
2006
Distinct trajectories of urbanization shape the human gut microbiome across South Asia.
Distinct trajectories of urbanization shape the human gut microbiome across South Asia. Gut Microbes. 2026 Dec 31; 18(1):2700042.
PMID: 42444491
Sri Lankan maternal ancestry reveals early migrations from Africa along the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lankan maternal ancestry reveals early migrations from Africa along the Indian Ocean. PLoS One. 2026; 21(5):e0350045.
PMID: 42189814
Kinship Trouble: What, When, Where, Why, and How-and So What?
Kinship Trouble: What, When, Where, Why, and How-and So What? Camb Archaeol J. 2026 May; 36(2):151-164.
PMID: 42256086
Ancient human genomes from Ladakh reveal Tibetan, South Asian, and Central Asian admixture over the last three millennia.
Ancient human genomes from Ladakh reveal Tibetan, South Asian, and Central Asian admixture over the last three millennia. bioRxiv. 2026 Feb 01.
PMID: 41659675
Distinct trajectories of urbanization shape the human gut microbiome across South Asia.
Distinct trajectories of urbanization shape the human gut microbiome across South Asia. bioRxiv. 2026 Jan 23.
PMID: 41648281
Dynamic human admixture histories over the past ~1300 years at the northern Himalayan frontier.
Dynamic human admixture histories over the past ~1300 years at the northern Himalayan frontier. Sci Adv. 2025 10 31; 11(44):eadu9625.
PMID: 41160688
Population histories of the Indigenous Adivasi and Sinhalese from Sri Lanka using whole genomes.
Population histories of the Indigenous Adivasi and Sinhalese from Sri Lanka using whole genomes. Curr Biol. 2025 Jun 09; 35(11):2554-2566.e7.
PMID: 40494279
The genesis of paleogenetics.
The genesis of paleogenetics. Nat Rev Genet. 2025 May; 26(5):297.
PMID: 40148574
The Genomic and Cultural Diversity of the Inka Qhapaq Hucha Ceremony in Chile and Argentina.
The Genomic and Cultural Diversity of the Inka Qhapaq Hucha Ceremony in Chile and Argentina. Genome Biol Evol. 2024 09 03; 16(9).
PMID: 39235046
Distinct positions of genetic and oral histories: Perspectives from India.
Distinct positions of genetic and oral histories: Perspectives from India. HGG Adv. 2024 07 18; 5(3):100305.
PMID: 38720459
Don York Faculty Initiative Award
University of Chicago
2023
Neubauer Family Assistant Professors Program
University of Chicago
2018 - 2023