In the Media: New Scientist on Convergent Human Evolution After Farming
I’m grateful to be featured in New Scientist in coverage of recent work on human evolution after the adoption of farming. The article, “Human populations evolved in similar ways after we began farming,” reports evidence from more than 7,000 ancient and modern genomes and highlights how selection appears to have acted in parallel across different populations worldwide. In the piece, I commented on the analytical framework developed by Laura Colbran and colleagues, noting that the method identifies both established and previously unknown genomic regions under selection and takes full advantage of the rapidly growing ancient DNA record.
March 10, 2026
Adelaide Open Food Map – Interactive, Data-Driven Restaurant Maps
I’m excited to release a new way to discover and find new restaurants in Adelaide. We are so lucky here to have so many greate foody spots. However, that makes choosing one difficult sometimes.
January 10, 2026
New Publication: Lessons Learned - Recommendations for Reproducible Paleogenomic Data Analyses
Our perspective piece “Lessons learned: Recommendations for reproducible paleogenomic data analyses” has been published in The American Journal of Human Genetics (2025). The article offers practical recommendations for reproducible paleogenomics research, drawing on the extensive and diverse experience at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA. × Read the paper · The American Journal of Human Genetics (2025) · DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.10.011
December 5, 2025
Speaking at Precision Public Health Transdisciplinary Conference 2025
On November 19th, 2025, I’ll be co-presenting an invited talk at the Precision Public Health Transdisciplinary Conference 2025 (PPHTC2025), hosted by the Human Genetics Society of Australasia. This conference brings together researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals to explore cutting-edge advances in precision public health. The conference will focus on transdisciplinary approaches to precision public health, including genomics, data science, and population health strategies. It’s an excellent opportunity to share insights and collaborate with experts across multiple disciplines working to improve public health outcomes through precision medicine. ×
November 13, 2025
New Publication: Conserved Facultative Heterochromatin Identifies Disease Regulatory Sequences
We’re excited to share our latest research published in Nucleic Acids Research, led by Enakshi Sinniah from the Palpant Lab at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. This work introduces a novel approach to identifying regulatory sequences critical for cell identity and disease by analysing conserved patterns of facultative heterochromatin across diverse cell types. ×
November 12, 2025
New Publication: Genetic Transitions in the Neolithic and Bronze Age at Mas d'en Boixos (Catalonia, Spain)
We’re pleased to share new research published in iScience, led by Xavier Roca-Rada in collaboration with Daniel R. Cuesta-Aguirre, Diana C. Vinueza-Espinosa, Roberta Davidson, Shyamsundar Ravishankar, and others. This study reveals fascinating insights into genetic transitions across prehistoric Iberia through ancient DNA analysis from the Mas d’en Boixos archaeological site in Northeastern Spain. The research demonstrates remarkable genetic continuity and change spanning from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, uncovering evidence of family relationships, ancestral origins, and social structures of these ancient populations. ×
July 18, 2025
New Publication: Five Thousand Years of Population History in Portugal
We’re excited to share our latest research published in Genome Biology, presenting the most comprehensive collection of ancient genomic data from Portugal to date. This collaborative study analysed 67 individuals spanning 5,000 years of human history, from the Neolithic to the nineteenth century, revealing dynamic patterns of migration, admixture, and genetic continuity at the westernmost edge of continental Eurasia. ×
January 15, 2025
New Publication: Filtering Out the Noise - Metagenomic Classifiers Optimize Ancient DNA Mapping
We’re thrilled to announce our new publication in Briefings in Bioinformatics, led by Shyamsundar Ravishankar. This work introduces an innovative workflow that dramatically improves ancient DNA analysis by using metagenomic classifiers to filter contaminating sequences before mapping. Our approach significantly reduces computational resources (up to 94% reduction in runtime), improves mapping precision, and makes ancient DNA analysis accessible on personal computers—not just high-performance computing clusters. ×
December 14, 2024