In this episode, Professor Ripan Malhi (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is on the show to talk about his career so far as a geneticist, genomicist and biological anthropologist, in particular working in the field of paleogenomics closely with Indigenous leaders, communities and research participants.

How have the fields of human genetics and genomics advanced technologically in the last 10–15 years? What was Ripan’s experience of studying questions through mtDNA haplogroup analyses, and embracing newer techniques involving next-generation sequencing after completing his PhD? What has his recent studies with collaborators and students been able to reveal about the population history of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific northwest coast?

Ripan also discusses how much of his recent research has been performed in consultation and collaboration with team members who are a part of the Metlakatla community. When questions are asked and studies designed within a First Nations framework, researchers have been able to provide Indigenous representatives with information about ancestral history, diets and foodways in the past, and the consequences of European colonization on ancient individuals’ health.

Listen to the episode below. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed, or find us on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes or anywhere else you typically find podcasts!

Show notes

If you have feedback or questions for Ripan, you can find him on Twitter and get in contact through his e-mail on his departmental website.

The Summer internship for INdigenous peoples in Genomics (SING) Consortium has a website you can check out to learn more. For additional information on the Increasing Diversity in Evolutionary Anthropological Science (IDEAS) program, you can visit the American Association of Physical Anthropology (AAPA) pages.

You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.

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