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430 Clinical Research Building | 415 Curie Blvd. | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia PA 19104-6145
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Laura Scheinfeldt, Ph.D.Research Scientist Department of Genetics |
Research
My research interests center around the elucidation of modern human demographic history including past migrations, selective events, and population interactions using an anthropological approach that includes archaeological, linguistic, and genetic data. I studied Pacific migration patterns in my thesis work, and more recently utilized genome-wide data from global populations to identify signals of positive (i.e. Darwinian) selection. I am currently focused on inferring African demography from genomic data in Dr. Tishkoff’s lab.
Education
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Ph.D. |
Temple University, 2004 |
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B.A. |
Skidmore College, 1996 |
Academic Positions
Research Associate, November 2009 – present
Department of Human Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Laboratory of Sarah Tishkoff, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, June 2007 – August 2009
Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Laboratory of Joshua M. Akey, Ph.D.
This work focused on analysis of whole-genome genetic data to elucidate modern human evolutionary histories.
Postdoctoral Fellow, September 2004 – June 2007
Department of Human Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Laboratory of Deborah Driscoll, M.D.
This work focused on analysis of genetic data to investigate genotype-phenotype relationships related to congenital disease.
Doctoral research, 2001 – 2004
Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Molecular Biology Laboratory, Camden, NJ
Joseph Lorenz, Ph.D., Laboratory Advisor
Y Chromosome Variation in Island Melanesia: Disentangling Genetic Relationships among Austronesian and Papuan speaking Populations. This research involved Y chromosome analysis of an intensive sample of unrelated men from Island Melanesia in order to establish patterns of variation that shed light on past population histories.
Graduate Assistantship, 2001 – 2003, Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Camden, NJ
Kerri Smith, Ph.D., Laboratory Advisor
Methodology employed includes various analyses of intra and inter-population variation in non-human primates.
Grants Awarded
Postdoctoral Training Grant, 2007 – 2009, NIH/NHGRI Genome Training Grant
Funded two years of computational training in the laboratory of Joshua M. Akey, Ph.D.
Travel Grant, 2004, Temple University
Provided for travel to the AAPA conference
Dissertation Writing Grant, 2003, Temple University
Provided for the write-up period of the dissertation: Y Chromosome Variation in Island Melanesia: Disentangling Genetic Relationships among Austronesian and Papuan speaking populations.
Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, 2002, Wenner-Gren Foundation (#7006)
Funded the data collection and analysis of doctoral research: Y Chromosome Variation in Island Melanesia: Disentangling Genetic Relationships among Austronesian and Papuan speaking populations.
Teaching Experience
Instructor, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Introduction to Anthropology, Summer 2001, Spring 2002, Summer 2002
Instructor, 2007, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Forensic Genetics
Invited Lecturer, 2006 – 2007, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Department of Anthropology, July 2006, March 2007
Publications
Laura B Scheinfeldt, Sameer Soi, Simon Thompson, Alessia Ranciaro, Dawit Wolde Meskel, William Beggs, Charla Lambert, Joseph P Jarvis, Dawit Abate, Gurja Belay, Sarah A Tishkoff. (2012) Genetic adaptation to high altitude in the Ethiopian highlands. Genome Biology 13:R1.
Scheinfeldt, L.B., Soi, S., Tishoff, S.A. (2010) Working toward a synthesis of archaeological, linguistic, and genetic data for inferring African population history. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. May 6 [Epub ahead of print].
Biswas, S., Scheinfeldt, L.B., Akey, J.M. (2009) Inferring population history by analyzing patterns of fine-scale intra-continental population structure. American Journal of Human Genetics 84(5):641-650.
Scheinfeldt L.B., Biswas S., Madeoy J., Connelly C.F., Schadt E.E., Akey J.M. (2009) Population genetics analysis of ALMS1 in humans reveals a surprisingly complex evolutionary history. Molecular Biology and Evolution 26(6):1357–1367.
Daria Sanna, Maria Pala, Sonia Melis, Gianluca Dedola, Domenica Obinu, Giancarlo Tonolo, Giannina Secchi, Riccardo Triunfo, Joseph Lorenz, Laura Scheinfeldt, Antonio Torroni, Paolo Francalacci, Renato Robledo (2009( Mitochondrial DNA variation in South-Western Sardinia: Mendelian breeding units versus standard sampling strategies. Submitted to Europeam Journal of Human Genetics.
Scheinfeldt L., Friedlaender F., Friedlaender J., Latham K., Koki G., Karafet T., Hammer M., Lorenz J. (2007) Y chromosome variation in Northern Island Melanesia. In: Friedlaender JS, editor. The History of Genes, Language, and Culture in the Southwest Pacific: A Synthesis. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hunley K., Dunn M., Lindström E., Reesink G., Terrill A., Norton H., Scheinfeldt L., Friedlaender F., Merriwether D.A., Koki G., Friedlaender J. (2007) Inferring prehistory from genetic, linguistic, and geographic variation. In: Friedlaender JS, editor. The History of Genes, Language, and Culture in the Southwest Pacific: A Synthesis. New York: Oxford University Press.
Scheinfeldt L., Friedlaender F., Friedlaender J., Latham K., Koki G., Karafet T., Hammer M., Lorenz J. (2006) Unexpected NRY chromosome variation in Northern Island Melanesia. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 23(8):1628-1641.
Robledo R., Scheinfeldt L., Merriweather D.A., Friedlaender F., Friedlaender J. 2003. A 9.1-kb insertion/deletion polymorphism suggests a common pattern of genetic diversity in Island Melanesia. Human Biology 75(6): 941-949.
Abstracts
Scheinfeldt L.B., Biswas S., Madeoy J., Connelly C.F., Schadt E.E., Akey J.M. (2008) Population genetics analysis of ALMS1 in humans reveals a surprisingly complex evolutionary history. American Society of Human Genetics, annual meeting supplement.
Scheinfeldt L., Goldmuntz E., Campanile J., Devoto M., Driscoll D.A. (2007) Family-based association studies of congenital heart defects. American Society of Human Genetics, annual meeting supplement.
Friedlaender J., Friedlaender F., Hodgson L., Scheinfeldt L., Kidd K., Kidd J., Bauchet M., Chambers G., Lea R., Koki G., Reed F., Merriwether D.A. (2007) Peopling of the Pacific: resolving the controversy. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, annual meeting supplement.
Scheinfeldt L., Friedlaender J., Friedlaender F., Robledo R., Merriwether D.A., Beggs W., Bender P., Karafet T., Hammer M., Lorenz J. (2004) Y chromosome variation in Melanesian populations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, annual meeting supplement.
Scheinfeldt L., Lorenz J., Robledo R., Merriwether D.A., Koki G., Mgone C., Friedlaender J. (2002) A Pilot Study of Y chromosome analysis on Melanesian populations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, annual meeting supplement.
Robledo R., Scheinfeldt L., Siniscalco M., Merriweather D.A., Friedlaender J. (2002) A 9.1 kb insertion/deletion polymorphism with an ancestral origin: a study on Melanesian populations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, annual meeting supplement.
