Rasmus Nielsen

Dr. Nielsen’s work is on statistical and population genetic analyses of genomic data, in particular methods for detecting natural selection, describing population genetic variation, inferring demography, and methods for association mapping. Much of his current research concerns statistical analyses of next-generation sequencing data, both in the context of medical genetics and population genetics. Many of the methods he has developed are heavily used by other researchers, including the phylogeny based methods for detecting positive selection implemented in PAML, the methods for inferring demographic histories implemented in the IM and IMa programs, the method for detecting selective sweeps implemented in SweepFinder, and the methods for analysing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data implemented in ANGSD. He has published >200 peer reviewed papers, invited book chapters and review papers since 1997 (including 36 in Science or Nature) with a total H-index of 101, and many of these papers focus on methods development and theory. However, much of his recent research has also focused on the application of evolutionary genetics for understanding molecular function, for example for understanding the genetic basis of the regulation of haemoglobin concentration in high-altitude adapted or diet and cold adaptation in Inuit of Greenland.