Himani Sachdeva

Recent advances in genome sequencing have made an unprecedented amount of genomic data available from diverse organisms, including humans. However, extracting useful information from this data is challenging, requiring us to disentangle the different evolutionary processes --- natural selection, demographic history, and spatial population structure --- that leave their ‘footprints’ in genome sequences. Himani Sachdeva‘s project “Genes in Space” aims to develop new theoretical frameworks to understand how natural selection acting on multiple genes in spatially extended populations shapes patterns of genetic variation. This could clarify how we might use sequence data to identify functionally important regions of the genome (e.g., those that influence disease risk in humans or crop yield), potentially allowing for better integration of genomic information in personalised medicine, agriculture and conservation.