Dr. Sarah Tishkoff

Professor

Biography

Sarah Tishkoff is the David Lyn Silfen University Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests encompass Evolution, Genetics, Epigenetics, and Genomics, with a focus on integrating fieldwork, laboratory research, and computational methodologies to address fundamental questions in modern human evolutionary history. She leads investigations into the genetic architecture of traits related to adaptation and disease risk in Africa, utilizing a comprehensive genomics approach that includes genomic, proteomic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and microbiome data from ethnically diverse African populations. Her work aims to elucidate the genetic and environmental factors influencing anthropometric, metabolomic, cardiovascular, and immune-related traits, which are essential for understanding adaptation and disease susceptibility. Tishkoff's studies extend to demographic reconstructions and analyses of human genetic variations across populations, contributing significantly to the knowledge of modern human origins and migration patterns. She is also involved in identifying genetic variants associated with complex diseases that disproportionately affect African and African diasporic populations, thereby informing gene mapping studies and public health strategies.

Research Interests

Awards

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NSF Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship
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Burroughs/Wellcome Fund Career Award
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David Lucile Packard Career Award
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NIH Pioneer Award

Courses

BIOL 422, Genomics Human Disease Evolution BIOL 522, Human Evolutionary Genomics