News
09.04.2024
Tübingen palaeogeneticist receives award from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Cosimo Posth decodes the human genetic diversity of the past
University of Tübingen palaeogeneticist Cosimo Posth has been awarded the Manfred Fuchs Prize of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The academy is honoring the assistant professor's work on human palaeogenomics at the interface of archaeology, anthropology, linguistics and population genetics. The research prize was donated by the entrepreneur Dr. Dr. h.c. Manfred Fuchs to encourage young researchers in Baden-Württemberg and to ensure that outstanding academic achievements receive the recognition they deserve. It is endowed with 10,000 euros.
In its statement, the Academy said Cosimo Posth combined various methods to decode the genetic diversity of the past. He uses the latest molecular biology and population genetics techniques to extract and analyze genomic information from ancient DNA. "This enables him to gain insights into human history and evolution over the last ten to several hundred thousand years. With his research activities, Posth has always tried to build bridges between sometimes very different scientific fields to obtain a more comprehensive picture of human history. The inclusion and consideration of a wide variety of evidence from the sciences and humanities has enabled him to shed new light on our history."
Professor Dr. Cosimo Posth holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Natural Sciences and Biological Anthropology from the University of Florence and has completed a doctorate in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Tübingen. Subsequently he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena. Since 2020, he has been Assistant Professor of Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics at the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment.
This year, the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities is awarding a total of 85,000 euros to eight early-career academics from Baden-Württemberg for their theses. The endowments are intended to support researchers at this stage of their careers. The theses will be presented publicly at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities on June 7, 2024.
Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities press release/ Antje Karbe
Further information:
Contact:
Professor Cosimo Posth
Institute for Archaeological Sciences
Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment
University of Tübingen
Phone +49 (0) 7071 29-74089
cosimo.posth@uni-tuebingen.de