From the 1st to the 10th of October, the Human Ancient DNA, Ancestry and Mobility community is electing new members of the steering committee for a term of one year (November 2025-2026).
Meet the candidates below, then cast your vote here!
Voting will be open between 1st Oct 2025 00:00 and 10th Oct 2025 23:59 (all times in CET).
Candidates
Hello! I’m Alicia, a PhD student at Stockholm University studying the effects of domestication in humans and animals through the lens of ancient DNA. Aside from my project’s scientific focus, I am interested in working with outreach, making science accessible for everyone, and learning from peers working in the humanities to better understand the context of scientific data. Since starting my work in archaeogenetics, the HAAM community has warmly welcomed me to the field, and I want to be able to provide that feeling of comfort to others. As part of the steering committee, I would like to help out with organising outreach activities and provide insight from the perspective of someone still in the midst of doing their PhD, while also providing support for those who are just starting in the field.
Anna-Lena Titze
Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, UMR-5288, CNRS/University of Toulouse, Toulouse, FranceMy name is Anna-Lena Titze. I am currently pursuing a PhD in palaeogenetics at the Centre for Anthropobiology and Genetics (CAGT) in Toulouse. Originally from Germany, I studied biology in Würzburg, focusing on electrophysiology and biochemistry. I then pursued an MSc in Anthropology in Mainz, where I gained my first experience in ancient DNA research. The ability to recover DNA from dead individuals and reconstruct their life histories has captivated me from the beginning. I was an Erasmus student at the Globe Institute in Copenhagen, where I completed a thesis on the genomic ancestry of 17th/18th-century Svalbard whalers. For my PhD ,I am looking at the Neolithic of Southern France. My work aims to uncover patterns of ancestry and relatedness at several archaeological sites. I had the privilege to be involved in the last two summer schools organized by HAAM. This experience made me realize the importance of professional communities. I would like to run as a candidate for one of the positions of the steering committee, both to learn more about ancestry and mobility, and to help the community grow. A mentoring scheme could help HAAM to gain new members and support researchers during their early careers.
Aurore Galtier
Advanced DNA Sequencing Techniques and Evolutionary Genomics, Dept. Archaeogenetics and Evolutionary Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, GermanyI am Aurore, a 1-year PhD student, working in the MPI-EVA in both the genetics and archeogenetics departments. My PhD is focused on analysing sediments from caves. I want to be part of the steering committee not only to contribute to the organisation of the summer school, but also to become part of a community of young scientists. I will bring scientific insights into the challenges of sediment analysis, along with enthusiasm and organizational skills.
Cecilia Padilla
Evolutionary Ecology Group, Dept. of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomI am a Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, working with Prof. Andrea Manica. My research focuses on the causes and consequences of changes in human population dynamics over our evolutionary history, including mobility, demography, and social organization. I am interested in developing integrative approaches that bring together genomic, archaeological, ecological, and ethnographic data to study the interplay between climate, behaviour, cultural and genetic evolution. As a member of the HAAM steering committee, I would like to help strengthen the bridges between genetics and other disciplines, broadening both the questions we ask and the methods we use. I have also extensively worked in science communication, which I believe is crucial to inspire and excite others about the origins, evolution, and diversity of our species. I would be keen to contribute to HAAM by helping organize skills training in this area and facilitating the diffusion and discussion of advances in our field with a broader community. In addition, I have obtained training and contributed to the development of protocols on how to make both our institutions as well as our research more equitable and inclusive. I would welcome the opportunity to further these efforts as part of the HAAM steering committee.
Sanni Peltola
SUMRAGEN / KAROL projects, University of Turku, Department of Biology, Turku, FinlandI’m Sanni Peltola, a geneticist from Finland working on ancient human DNA data from Northeastern Europe. I’m about to finish my PhD and will begin my postdoctoral career in November. As an early-career researcher with a family, I have become exceptionally aware of the challenges that young parents and other individuals who are unable to fulfil the prevailing requirements of “academic mobility” face in academia. Communities that provide support and share knowledge remotely and across institutional borders have been crucial to my career, and now I wish to give back some of that support via HAAM. As a member of the steering committee, my goals would be to promote platforms where knowledge and practices are shared openly, and to encourage young researchers in our community to embrace collaboration rather than competition.
Youssef Tawfik
Palaeogenetics group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, GermanyMy name is Youssef Tawfik. I come from Egypt, and I’m a final-year PhD student at the University of Mainz, Germany, where I work on exploring the potential applications of reconstructing ancient methylomes from ancient human genomes. I would be honoured to be included in the steering committee, as I’m eager to contribute actively to the HAAM community. I am particularly interested in helping build bridges among members, foster communication, and develop an open and interactive environment in which ideas can be shared easily. I find the summer school, particularly, a truly inspirational initiative, as it not only promotes interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration but also opens learning and training possibilities that are often not easily accessible to many researchers worldwide. I admire its open and collaborative spirit, which aligns strongly with my own approach to academic life. I would be eager to assist in its organization, drawing on my experience in co-initiating and co-organizing the Early-Career Researcher Seminar at our institute (iomE) and now as part of the Pint of Science Mainz team. With my strong organizational skills and team-oriented mindset, I’m confident that I could contribute meaningfully to the steering committee’s mission and the growth of the HAAM community.
