Reconstructing Evolutionary History and Processes: Insights from Analysis of Present-day and Ancient Genomes

My lab uses genetic data from present-day and ancient individuals as a tool to understand human evolution, adaptation and disease. The historical signatures of past events such as population mixtures and expansions, as well as human diseases and natural selection, have left traces in our genomes. We combine population genetics theory, statistical modeling and large-scale genomic data analysis to: (1) understand the evolutionary processes driving genetic variation across populations and species, (2) characterize major population events in human evolution, such as gene flow, bottlenecks and expansions, and (3) identify genetic variants linked to environmental adaptations and human health. Our analyses have provided novel insights about key demographic events in human prehistory and their impact on human adaptation and disease. Our research is supported by funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Sloan Foundation, Hellman Fellowship, National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

Speaker: Priya Moorjani, UC Berkeley