Human Genomics & Evolution

Our research sits at the intersection of population genetics, evolutionary anthropology and molecular studies of gene regulation. We are particularly interested in the ways that gene regulatory processes play, both now and in our species’ past, in giving rise to present-day human diversity, and the implications this has for the widespread and equitable adoption of personalised medicine worldwide. Because gene regulation is not easily predicted (at least for now!) from sequence-level data, we use multiple a combination of computational biology and functional genomics approaches to understand the means by which cellular mechanisms interact to regulate gene expression, and, under the action of natural selection, ultimately give rise to inter-species or population-level differences. Our work directly speaks to, and seeks to remedy, the lack of diversity and representation in human genomics today. We aim to ensure that the benefits of personalised medicine are available to all, not just the lucky few. 

Currently, much of our work focuses on understanding the challenges of peopling Southeast Asia, with a particular interest on the Indonesian archipelago. We focus both on present-day genetic diversity and interactions between Homo sapiens and other, now extinct, regional hominins, such as the Denisovans. 

Ongoing research in the group makes use of multiple cutting-edge approaches, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs), functional genomics assays at bulk and single cell resolutions and machine learning, bringing together multiple disciplines to address questions that cannot be tackled independently by any single one of them. We are also one of the few groups worldwide with an established record in generating iPSC lines from non-model organisms such as great apes. 

• Lani Li, Research Assistant
• Maddy Comerford, PhD student
• Neke Ibeh, PhD student
• Navya Shukla, PhD student
• Alex Wang, MSc student
• Abir Srivastava, Hons student 
• Alice Groudko, visiting researcher 
• Finn Lohmann, undergraduate researcher 

Lab alumni

• Hanadi Hoblos, lab manager
• Laura Cook, PhD student (now a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, USA)
• Ashlee Hutchinson, PhD student (now a postdoc at Monash University)
• Davide Vespasiani, PhD student (now a postdoc at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute)
• Katalina Bobowik, PhD student (now a postdoc at the Center for Population Genetics, MCRI)
• Isobel Beasley, MSc student
• River Kano, MSc student