Opportunities

We offer opportunities for MSc projects on several topics. If you think you could be interested in any of these topics please contact the PI of that particular project.

 

Ancient pathogens

(Anders Götherström, anders.gotherstrom@arklab.su.se)

Humans are home to a huge diversity of microorganisms. Some of these microorganisms are pathogenic (e.g. bacteria causing leprosy and plague) and by studying them we can understand events shaping human history such as the Black Death or the Spanish Flu. We also study pathogens that have afflicted other prehistoric organisms, such as woolly mammoth and woolly rhino.

 

Historic and prehistoric societies

(Anders Götherström, anders.gotherstrom@arklab.su.se)

We use DNA from ancient humans to understand the history and demographics of human societies. Points of interest include: the impact of geneflow on the Steppe in the shaping of Eurasia; the Neolithic Expansion, the Viking world expansion, battlefield genetics, and the pathogenic microbes humans may host. Examples of microbial pathogens can be the black death , smallpox, and leprosy. We are interested in different processes that shaped historic and prehistoric societies, that remains visible in ancient DNA from human remains.

 

Archaeological genetics

(Anna Linderholm, anna.linderholm@geo.su.se)

We use ancient DNA extracted from sediments/skeletal remains from archaeological sites, to understand human movement, human adaptation, human prevalence to disease during climate shifts (malaria) and battlefield genetics. With our sediment work we are also recreating past environments to help us understand human impact and sustainability. We are currently working on material from archaeological sites found in Northern Scandinavia, Italy (Etruscans), Iron Age/Viking sites, different caves in Africa and caves in Spain. All our ancient DNA focus is on humans in prehistory and the evolution of them and their environment. 

 

Insect adaptation

(David Díez, david.diez@nrm.se)

Bees provide an important ecological service as pollinators but their populations are declining dramatically. We use modern samples together with samples from museum collections to study how populations of these species adapt to environmental changes induced by human activities such of agricultural intensification and the use of pesticides. This subject offers opportunities for a variety of MSc projects including field work, molecular laboratory techniques in ancient DNA and metabarcoding, bioinformatics and population genetics analyses of data.

 

Ancient wildlife evolution

(Love Dalén, love.dalen@zoologi.su.se)

This research describes the evolution of wildlife populations over the past 40,000 years. Our research currently focuses on both extinct and extant mammals, such as cave lions, wolves, bears and woolly mammoths. We use DNA from ancient animal remains to better understand how environmental changes (such as the last ice age) have shaped their evolution and distribution over this time.

 

Genomics of extinction

(Love Dalén, love.dalen@zoologi.su.se)

We are currently in the world’s 6th mass extinction event. Understanding why species go extinct is crucial for slowing this. This research uses DNA techniques of historic and ancient samples to study genetic effects in small populations to better understand the causes of population extinction. Current projects include the study of endangered or declining species such as mountain gorillas, Sumatran rhinoceros and Arctic foxes.

 

Past social behaviour and health

(Maja Krzewinska, maja.krzewinska@arklab.su.se)

We use ancient human and animal genomics to explore archaeological questions, understand social organisation and human behaviour in the past. Furthermore, by exploring past living conditions and demographic events we wish to understand their impact on present day human health and susceptibility to disease. The osteological material in focus mainly originates from collections in Central/Northern Europe and Western Eurasia and spans different chronologies between the Neolithic and Mediaeval period. We are interested in exploring how ancient DNA data from different source materials can be utilised to better our understanding of past human behaviour and health.

 

Ancient megafauna

(Peter Heintzman, peter.d.heintzman@geo.su.se)

Several projects are available that each aim to resolve the evolutionary history of a species of extinct megafauna (e.g. horses, camels) using ancient DNA/palaeogenomic approaches. These involve reconstructing phylogenetic relationships, detecting admixture, and estimating the age of these enigmatic animals.

 

Sedimentary ancient DNA

(Peter Heintzman, peter.d.heintzman@geo.su.se)

Ancient DNA recovered directly from environmental archives, such as sediments, can be used to reconstruct past ecosystems and understand the arrival and disappearance of key plant and animal groups. Various projects are available that will apply cutting-edge techniques to sediments from sites across the northern Hemisphere that range in age from thousands to hundreds of thousands of years old.

 

Environmental DNA

(Tom van der Valk, Tom.vanderValk@nrm.se)

We are a bioinformatics focussed research group, specialising on the analysis of low quality DNA samples, including ancient/historical and environmental DNA. Current projects include estimating genetic diversity in environmental and ancient sediment samples as well as using genetic data for species conservation research