Aim and content

This course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.

Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.

Learning objectives

A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:

1. Describe major milestones in the development of the field of ancient DNA.

2. Understand the underlying principles and ethical implications of using ancient DNA to study species evolution.

3. Analyse and authenticate sequencing data retrieved from archaeological, paleontological and museum material.

4. Understand how to apply state-of-the-art computational methods to ancient genomes to answer evolutionary questions.

5. Critically assess the results obtained from the analysis of ancient DNA data.

Content

Ancient DNA has revolutionised our understanding of the past by providing a deep time perspective on questions about human evolution, population dynamics, adaptation to changing environments, domestication and the spread of past epidemics. However, working with ancient DNA presents significant challenges, from financial and logistical constraints to the complexities of laboratory work and data analysis.

This intensive 5-day course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of ancient DNA, covering both its historical development and its current applications in human evolution, plant and animal domestication, conservation genomics, and disease dynamics. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on exercises, students will gain experience working with ancient DNA genomic datasets and performing fundamental analyses (authentication of ancient DNA, contamination, and identification), basic exploratory analyses (ancestry inference and admixture testing), and advanced analytical methods (haplotype reconstruction, fine-scale population structure and selection). Research talks strategically placed throughout the course will cover current applications to the fields of human evolution, human-pathogen interactions, domestication and conservation genomics.

Participants

The course is primarily aimed at students in biology, archaeology, bioinformatics, medicine and related fields who would like to learn about ancient DNA and its applications in the study of evolutionary biology and ecology, as well as to analyse ancient DNA sequencing data.

Requirements

• Basic knowledge on linux command line and bash scripting. We will be holding an optional UNIX Basics session on Friday August 8th to be held locally and over zoom. If you are a UNIX beginner, you are strongly encouraged to attend this session.

• All participants must have a personal laptop with internet connection.

Relevance to graduate programmes

The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:

Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

Oral Sciences, Forensic Medicine and Bioanthropology

Language

English

Form

Lectures, group work, computer exercises

Course director

Hannes Schroeder, Associate Professor, Globe Institute, hschroeder@sund.ku.dk

Jazmín Ramos Madrigal, Assistant Professor, Globe Institute, jazmin.madrigal@sund.ku.dk

Teachers

Jazmín Ramos Madrigal, Assistant Professor, Globe Institute, jazmin.madrigal@sund.ku.dk

Hannes Schroeder, Associate Professor, Globe Institute, hschroeder@sund.ku.dk

José Victor Moreno-Mayar, Assistant Professor, Globe Institute, morenomayar@sund.ku.dk

Special topic lectures

Will Barrie, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Cambridge

Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Associate Professor, University of Lausanne

Dates

11-15 August 2025

Course location

Globe Institute, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen

Registration

Please register before 13 of July 2025

Expected frequency

This course will take place every year

Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules. Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment.

Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.

Disclaimer:
DDSA has explicit permission from Arcanic and the owners of the https://phdcourses.dk/ website to display the courses on ddsa.dk.