Brenna Henn
Academic Appointments
- Postdoctoral Research fellow, Genetics
Key Documents
Contact Information
- Academic Offices
Current Address Brenna Henn Assistant Professor, SUNY Stony Brook Email
Professional Overview
Professional Education
| Doctor of Philosophy: | Stanford University, ANSCI-PHD (2009) |
| Master of Science: | Stanford University, ANSCI-MS (2005) |
| Bachelor of Arts: | Stanford University, PHILO-BA (2003) |
Stanford Advisors
| Carlos Bustamante: | Postdoctoral Faculty Sponsor |
Community and International Work
- Genetic Diversity in South Africa, Northern Cape, South Africa
Internet Links
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Genetic variation outside of Africa is greatly reduced compared to the amount of genetic variation found within Africa. Populations from neighboring regions in Africa, e.g. east vs. south, can be as different genetically as, for example, the Italians differ from the Chinese. I have focused primarily on the demographic history of African hunter-gatherer populations like the Hadza and Sandawe of Tanzania, and Kalahari KhoeSan populations of South Africa. I continue to be interested in topics at the intersection of genetics and anthropology such as the evolution of human longevity and natural selection on skin pigmentation. My current research projects in the Bustamante Lab include the history of migration into North Africa, fieldwork in southern Africa, refining migration models of the Out-of-Africa expansion using full genome sequence data, patterns of selection in populations with different demographic histories and phenotype/genotype associations in diverse populations.
Publications
- Genomic ancestry of North Africans supports back-to-Africa migrations. PLoS Genet. 2012; (1): e1002397
- Limited evidence for classic selective sweeps in African populations. Genetics. 2012; (3): 1049-64
- The great human expansion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012; (44): 17758-64
- Hunter-gatherer genomic diversity suggests a southern African origin for modern humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011; (13): 5154-62
- Rapid, global demographic expansions after the origins of agriculture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011; (15): 6044-9
- Human origins: Shadows of early migrations. Nature. 2010; (7327): 1044-5
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