Jasmin Rees

Jasmin Rees

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Research Interest

I research human genetic diversity, leveraging a range of computational approaches to explore the genetic signatures of adaptation and/or admixture. I am acutely interested in the role the environment plays as a selective driver and in ultimately driving local adaptation amongst ethnically diverse populations, particularly when this results in medically-relevant trait variation amongst populations today.

Education

2023

Ph.D. Population Genetics, University College London, UK
Advisor: Prof Sergi Castellano and Dr Aida Andrés
Thesis: Role of Micronutrients in Genetic Adaptation

2019

MSc Human Evolution and Behaviour; University College London, UK
Supraorbital form in Homo sapiens: Size as a function of facial angle and frontal sinus size.
Thesis: Appointment to the Dean’s List: Awarded to students with outstanding academic performance.

2018

BA (Hon) Natural Sciences (Zoology); University of Cambridge, UK
Specialization: Evolutionary Genetics & Palaeobiology (Vertebrate and Mammalian)
Thesis: “Old Bering Sea genome proposed as the genetic precursor to Thule”

Research Experience

2023 – Present

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania
Advisor: Sarah A. Tishkoff, Ph.D.

2019 – 2023

PhD Student, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UCL Genetics; University College London
Supervisor: Prof. Sergi Castellano and Dr. Aida Andrés

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant at the UCL Division of Biosciences:
Introduction to Genetics (Yr1); Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Yr1); Evolutionary Genetics (Yr2); Computational Biology (Yr2); Plant Evolution and Ecology (Yr3); Sex and Evolution (Yr3).

Appointed as Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy in 2022.

Guest Lecturer at the UCL Institute of Child Health

Lecturing for the MSc Personalised Genomic Medicine programme.

Workshops: Assisted in running the computational workshop on the Relate and Colate programmes at the Workshop on Population Genomics and Speciation (Czechia, 2022).

Publications

Rees et al.,, Ancient loss of catalytic selenocysteine spurred convergent adaptation in a mammalian oxidoreductase, Biorxiv, doi: 10.1101/2023.01.03.522577, (2023)

Rees & Andrés, Inferring Human Evolutionary History, Science, 375 (2022)

Rees et al.,, The Genomics of Human Local Adaptation, Trends in Genetics, 36, 6 (2020)

Presentations

Identifying the Nature of Adaptation to Trace Metals in Modern Humans. Rees, J., Andrés, A., Castellano, S. PopGroup. UK, Jan 2023. Oral.

Identifying the Nature of Adaptation to Trace Metals in Modern Humans. Rees, J., Andrés, A., Castellano, S. European Society of Evolutionary Biology. Czechia, August 2022. Oral.

Ancient Loss of Selenocysteine in a Catalytic Site Spurs Compensatory and Convergent Evolution” Rees, J., Andrés, A., Castellano, S. Selenium in Health and Medicine. US, February 2022. Oral.

“Micronutrients as Drivers of Natural Selection in Modern Humans. Rees, J., Andrés, A., Castellano, S. PopGroup. UK, Jan 2022. Oral.

“Ancient Loss of Selenocysteine in a Catalytic Site Spurs Compensatory and Convergent Evolution. Rees, J., Andrés, A., Castellano, S. Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution. Online. July 2021. Poster.