John Lindo

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Special Interests

Ancient DNA and population genomics; evolutionary histories of the Americas; human adaptation to environment and disease; evolutionary medicine; epigenetics and intergenerational inheritance; canine genomics; bio-cultural approaches integrating genomics, archaeology, and community-engaged research.

Additional Links

www.LindoAncientDNA.com

Profile

I received my Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign following prior training in chemistry and law. Before joining UC Berkeley, I was Associate Professor of Anthropology at Emory University and a Provost’s Postdoctoral Scholar in Human Genetics at the University of Chicago.


At Berkeley, we are building the Ancient Genomics Lab, an interdisciplinary research group that combines wet-lab molecular techniques with computational genomics and evolutionary modeling. Our work emphasizes collaborative, community-engaged research practices while training students in ancient DNA analysis, bioinformatics, evolutionary theory, and computational biology.

Research

John Lindo is an evolutionary anthropologist whose research integrates ancient DNA, genomics, epigenomics, and computational biology to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of populations in the Americas and investigate how humans, non-human primates, and canines adapt to changing environments, pathogens, and social systems. His work combines molecular, archaeological, historical, and anthropological data to better understand long-term processes of migration, adaptation, and disease across populations. His current research focuses on genomic and epigenomic adaptation in ancient and contemporary populations of the Americas, particularly high-altitude adaptation in the Andes, infectious disease evolution, and the biological consequences of transitions such as agriculture and European colonization. His lab employs computational approaches to studying ancient pathogens, population continuity, and natural selection through time-series genomic data, with recent projects examining ancient tuberculosis adaptation, plague-driven selection, and epigenetic responses to social and environmental stress.


A second area of his research explores the intersection of genomics, social behavior, and evolutionary medicine, including oxytocin-related pathways and epigenetic inheritance, while emphasizing collaborative and ethically grounded research with descendant and Indigenous communities.


Dr. Lindo’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society, including an NSF CAREER Award. Interested students and collaborators are encouraged to contact Dr. Lindo regarding opportunities in the upcoming Ancient Genomics Lab at UC Berkeley.