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Leonardo Arias Alvis

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Department of Evolutionary Genetics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig

phone: +49 (0) 341 3550 972
e-mail: leonardo_arias@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de

Curriculum Vitae
Publications

Project: Demographic history and fine-scale population structure in Northwestern Amazonia

I am an evolutionary biologist interested in understanding human population history and the impact of sociocultural practices on patterns of genetic diversity among extant and extinct human populations. My current research uses cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology to analyze the genetic diversity present among indigenous populations from Northwestern Amazonia (NWA). This area is well known for its enormous biological, linguistic and cultural diversity. Recent anthropological and archaeological research indicates that this region was populated since at least 10,000 years ago and that complex societies –chiefdoms and multiethnic confederations- originated there before the arrival of Europeans.

Our previous research (see list of publications) showed that NWA harbors significant diversity and revealed the existence of extensive interactions among ethnolinguistic groups, this interaction has been facilitated by the presence of an abundant network of rivers, which facilitates the movement of people, primarily women. During my current postdoctoral position, I am analyzing genome-wide SNP data from ~300 individuals from NWA aiming to refine our understanding of the human population history of this fascinating area.

Curriculum Vitae

Current position

01/04/2019-Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig.
Advisor: Mark Stoneking

Education

09/2012 – 11/2018PhD Evolutionary Genetics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Thesis: Human population history of Northwestern Amazonia, Colombia
Advisors: Prof. Dr. Mark Stoneking and Dr. Brigitte Pakendorf
08/2007 – 2/2012MSc. Biology
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Dept. Biology
Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Thesis: Study of the genetic variation in the mitochondrial DNA of  Native American populations from Amazonia and pre-Hispanic human remains from the Colombian Andes.
Advisor: Dr. Guillermo Barreto
08/2000 – 08/2006BSc Biology, mention in genetics
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Dept. Biology
Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Thesis: Determination of the allele frequencies of eight autosomal STRs in two Amerindian population samples from the Guaviare Department
Advisor: Dr. Guillermo Barreto

Teaching experience

2007Lecturer Cell biology and biochemistry I, Universidad del Valle, Buenaventura
2008Teaching assistant Laboratory of Cell biology and biochemistry II, Universidad del Valle, Cali.
2009 Teaching assistant Laboratory of General Biology, Universidad del Valle, Cali.
2015 Lecturer in the IMPRS-Leipzig School of Human Origins, workshop in “Applied Phylogenetics” lecture on: “Distance based methods and phylogenetic networks”, 31 August to 04 September 2015 MPI-EVA.
2016Lecturer in the Masters Course in “Molecular Anthropology” University of Leipzig, lecture on: “The peopling of the Americas”, MPI-EVA.
2016Lecturer in the Core Seminar Week on Genetics IMPRS- Leipzig School of Human Origins, lecture on: “Human Population History Projects” June 2016 MPI-EVA.
2017Lecturer in the Masters Course in “Molecular Anthropology” University of Leipzig, lecture on: “Human Migrations and Population Contact”, MPI-EVA.
2017Lecturer in the Core Seminar Week on Genetics IMPRS- Leipzig School of Human Origins, lecture on: “Human Population History Projects” April 2017 MPI-EVA.
2018Lecturer in the Masters Course in “Molecular Anthropology” University of Leipzig, lecture on: “Colonization of the New World”, MPI-EVA.
2018Lecturer in the Core Seminar Week on Genetics IMPRS- Leipzig School of Human Origins, lecture on: “Human Population History Projects” May 2018 MPI-EVA.

Fieldwork experience

2013-2014Fieldwork with indigenous communities in remote places in the Colombian Amazonia, collection of saliva samples from 36 different ethnolinguistic groups.
2005-2010Fieldwork with indigenous communities in remote places (Guaviare and Vaupés, Colombian Amazonia) belonging to the East Tukanoan and Guahiban language families.

Grants 

2012Colombian Science Foundation (COLCIENCIAS) Graduate scholarship to conduct PhD studies abroad.
2011German Academic Exchange Servive (DAAD) (code number: A/11/15253) Award for a Research Stay, Host Institute: MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
2007Universidad del Valle, Vicerrectoría de investigaciones (código de proyecto CI7747) “Obtención de ADN arqueológico y su validación para el estudio comparativo de la diversidad genética de poblaciones prehispánicas y amerindias actuales del Sur-Occidente colombiano” 

Publications

This publication list is currently beeing updated. The process will be finished in a few minutes.

2012

Braga, Y., Arias, L., and Barreto, G. (2012) Diversity and genetic structure analysis of three Amazonian Amerindian populations from Colombia. Colombia Médica - Vol. 43 Nº 2, 2012.

2011

Braga, Y., Arias, L. and Barreto, G. (2011) Genetic diversity of Native Americans in the multilingual area of Vaupés-Guaviare, Colombian Amazonia (Abstract). Am J Phys Anthropol. 144:52. Pag. 96

2010

Arias, L., Braga, Y. and Barreto, G. (2010) Variación genética presente en el ADNmt de Nativos Americanos de la Amazonía Colombiana. IATREIA. Vol 23, No 4 pag S-135-S-136. ISSN 0121-0793/ ISSN-e 2011-7965

Barreto, G., Rodríguez, C.A., Braga, Y., Quintero, M., Jurado, L., Arias, L., Rodríguez-Flórez, E. (2010) Extracción y amplificación de ADN arqueológico de dos poblaciones prehispánicas del Suroccidente colombiano. Int. J. S. Am. Archaeol. 6: 46-57 (2010) www.ijsa.syllabapress.com