Pontus Skoglund
2026 United Kingdom Award Finalist — Faculty
Current Position:
Senior Group Leader
Institution:
Francis Crick Institute
Discipline:
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Recognised for: Recognised for pioneering ancient DNA studies, including computational methods to reconstruct human genetic histories in Europe and Egypt and map the emergence of disease outbreaks throughout different periods in human history.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Ancient DNA, evolutionary genetics, genomics, infectious disease, ancient Europe, ancient Egypt
Previous Positions:
- BSc, Umeå University, Sweden
- MSc, Uppsala University, Sweden
- PhD, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Postdoc, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard University, USA
- Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute
Research Summary:
Human evolution is a complex story influenced by the intertwined forces of migration, disease and cultural change. Pontus Skoglund, PhD, aims to unravel this story using groundbreaking computational methods to obtain and analyse ancient DNA. Skoglund’s methods have been widely applied to reconstruct human genealogies and identify unknown migration patterns in Northern Europe, as well as to correlate the emergence of infectious diseases with societal change. Skoglund’s work has also led to the isolation of a whole genome from early Egypt. This body of research has opened possibilities for unprecedented insight into ancient civilisations and our fundamental understanding of human biology.
“I was amazed and honoured that my group's work was recognised. We study ancient DNA to build a record of how genetic history, infectious disease, and human adaptation shaped the human genome and our societies. We hope that reconstructing ancient genome evolution can help us understand current health challenges and illuminate the human past.”
Key Publications:
- L. Speidel, M. Silva, T. Booth, B. Raffield, K. Anastasiadou, C. Barrington, A. Götherström, P. Heather, P. Skoglund. High-resolution genomic history of early medieval Europe. Nature, 2025.
- P. Swali, T. Booth, C.C. Tan, J. McCabe, K. Anastasiadou, C. Barrington, M. Borrini, A. Bricking, J. Buckberry, L. Büster, R. Carlin, A. Gilardet, I. Glocke, J. Irish, M. Kelly, M. King, F. Petchey, J. Peto, M. Silva, L. Speidel, F. Tait, A. Teoaca, V. Valoriani, M. Williams, R. Madgwick, G. Mullan, L. Wilson, K. Cootes, I. Armit, M.G. Gutierrez, L. van Dorp, P. Skoglund. Ancient Borrelia genomes document the evolutionary history of louse-borne relapsing fever. Science, 2025.
- A. Morez Jacobs, J.D. Irish, A. Cooke, K. Anastasiadou, C. Barrington, A. Gilardet, M. Kelly, M. Silva, L. Speidel, F. Tait, M. Williams, N. Brucato, F-X. Ricaut, C. Wilkinson, R. Madgwick, E. Holt, A.J. Nederbragt, E. Inglis, M. Hajdinjak, P. Skoglund, L. Girdland-Flink. Whole-genome ancestry of an Old Kingdom Egyptian. Nature, 2025.
- T. Davy, D. Ju, I. Mathieson, P. Skoglund. Hunter-gatherer admixture facilitated natural selection in Neolithic European farmers. Current Biology, 2023.
Other Honors:
2024 Balfour lecture, Genetics Society
2023 Consolidator grant - UKRI Horizon guarantee (European Research Council)
2023 Finalist in Life Sciences , Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom
2021 Young Investigator, European Molecular Biology Organisation
2019 Scholar, Vallee Foundation
2018 Investigator Award, Wellcome Trust
2018 Starting grant, European Research Council
In the Media:
- The Economist Babbage podcast – What can ancient DNA reveal about life today?
- BBC – Ancient Egyptian history may be rewritten by DNA bone test
- CNN – The first genome sequenced from ancient Egypt reveals surprising ancestry, scientists say
- Nature – First human genome from ancient Egypt sequenced from 4,800-year-old teeth
- The Guardian – Skeleton found in pot is first ancient Egyptian to undergo whole genome analysis
- BBC – New bone test could rewrite British history, say scientists
- BBC –Iron Age infant with Down's syndrome identified using new DNA testing
- BBC – DNA sleuths solve mystery of the 2,000-year old corpse
- CNN – 4,000-year-old DNA unlocks secrets of the plague
- BBC –Researchers find oldest evidence of the plague in Britain
- BBC –Iron Age infant with Down's syndrome identified using new DNA testing
- BBC Digging for Britain - Roman Crime and Ancient DNA
- The Telegraph – Viking hordes may have been Britain’s ancestors returning home, DNA suggests
- The Guardian –Scandinavians came to Britain long before Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, finds study