Master students

Research Project: My thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the adaptation of woolly mammoths from Wrangel Island by identifying gene variants and tracking their allele frequencies over time. For this project, I will sequence 25 complete genomes and may apply a hybridization capture approach in case selective-sweep patterns emerge. The goal is to investigate whether new mutations occurred when the population became isolated, and if so, which phenotypic traits were affected.

Research Project: Research Project: Denisova cave is a bountiful source of prehistory, yet the remains therein are often highly fragmented and thus cannot be morphologically identified. Amongst these remains, deer (Cervidae Goldfuss, 1820) have been identified using aDNA and protein-based analyses. Yet, the methods previously applied have issues providing proper species-level resolution of specimens. Using competitive mapping and mitochrondrial phylogenetics, I will identify which cervid species were present at Denisova Cave from the Middle to Late Pleistocene, and how the specimens relate evolutionarily to other cervids.

Research Project: I work on woolly mammoth material from archaeological sites in Central Europe, as part of the ERC Consolidator Grant project “Exploring MAMmoth Bone Accumulations in Central Europe (MAMBA). My project focuses on the Polish Gravettian site of Kraków Spadzista, which is exceptional in both the density and preservation of its mammoth remains. I target the cochlear part of the petrous bone, shown in humans to have very good DNA preservation, to generate mammoth genomes with high enough coverage to investigate herd structure by reconstructing kinship patterns. Integrated with the archaeological context, the genomic data can refine our understanding of human exploitation strategies during this period.

Research Project: French student from the University of Bordeaux, currently completing my master’s thesis at the CPG. I’m studying the cold adaptation of collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx sp.) through ancient DNA and targeted capture approaches, with a particular interest in missense variants and selection (dN/dS) analysis.

Research Project: Assisting Lars Littmann (PhD student) with his project on estimating the rate of genetic change of butterfly populations in Sweden using both field collected specimens and historical samples from museum collections. Primarily working on sampling from the museum collections, conducting DNA lab work (extractions, library building, PCR, etc.), and experimenting with alternative methodology to help improve efficiency in extracting DNA from historical insect samples.

Research Project: I am using Ancient DNA to identify Arvicolinae remains found in arctic ground squirrels middens from MIS 2 and MIS 5a/4 in Yukon Territory, Canada. The majority of the remains are post-cranial bones and/or heavily fragmented, thus making their morphological identification to the species level difficult. Identifying them will provide a better understanding of the population dynamics of these rodent species and of their paleoenvironment during these periods.