John Novembre, PhD

The Novembre research group uses computational tools to study genetic diversity in natural populations. Our goal is to develop widely used statistical methods for intelligently extracting information from large-scale genomic data with the aim to improve understanding of: (1) basic genomic biology, (2) the biology of heritable disease traits, (3) the genetic basis of evolutionary processes, and (4) the history and evolution of various species, especially humans. From a disciplinary perspective, most of the ideas we use are from theoretical population genetics, statistical genetics, and computational statistics. Much of our work is invigorated by addressing data from emerging genotyping and sequencing technologies applied to large or particularly interesting population samples.

Mexican Biobank advances population and medical genomics of diverse ancestries.
Mexican Biobank advances population and medical genomics of diverse ancestries. Nature. 2023 Oct; 622(7984):775-783.
PMID: 37821706

The design of mapping populations: Impacts of geographic scale on genetic architecture and mapping efficacy for defense and immunity.
The design of mapping populations: Impacts of geographic scale on genetic architecture and mapping efficacy for defense and immunity. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2023 08; 74:102399.
PMID: 37307746

A rarefaction approach for measuring population differences in rare and common variation.
A rarefaction approach for measuring population differences in rare and common variation. Genetics. 2023 05 26; 224(2).
PMID: 37075098

Intestinal microbiota of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds vary more over seasons and years than between host species.
Intestinal microbiota of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds vary more over seasons and years than between host species. Mol Ecol. 2023 06; 32(12):3290-3307.
PMID: 36974685

Modeling the spatiotemporal spread of beneficial alleles using ancient genomes.
Modeling the spatiotemporal spread of beneficial alleles using ancient genomes. Elife. 2022 12 20; 11.
PMID: 36537881

Addressing the challenges of polygenic scores in human genetic research.
Addressing the challenges of polygenic scores in human genetic research. Am J Hum Genet. 2022 12 01; 109(12):2095-2100.
PMID: 36459976

Population genetic models for the spatial spread of adaptive variants: A review in light of SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
Population genetic models for the spatial spread of adaptive variants: A review in light of SARS-CoV-2 evolution. PLoS Genet. 2022 09; 18(9):e1010391.
PMID: 36137003

Properties of 2-locus genealogies and linkage disequilibrium in temporally structured samples.
Properties of 2-locus genealogies and linkage disequilibrium in temporally structured samples. Genetics. 2022 05 05; 221(1).
PMID: 35294015

The background and legacy of Lewontin's apportionment of human genetic diversity.
The background and legacy of Lewontin's apportionment of human genetic diversity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2022 06 06; 377(1852):20200406.
PMID: 35430890

Getting genetic ancestry right for science and society.
Getting genetic ancestry right for science and society. Science. 2022 04 15; 376(6590):250-252.
PMID: 35420968

View All Publications