Dr Selina Brace
Principal Researcher
ORCID: 0000-0003-2126-6732
Department: Earth Sciences
Division: ES Vertebrates and Anthropology Palaeobiology
Specialisms: Ancient DNA
Summary
*Please note this website is curently not updating properly and much of the information is out of date. Apologies.*I’m a biologist who works with ancient and degraded DNA to investigate species-level and evolutionary processes. I am a principal researcher in ancient DNA and I manage the NHM ancient DNA laboratory.My research centres on the use of genetic information from museum specimens to understand taxonomic and evolutionary relationships, population structure and history, and the ecological impact of past events. I have worked on a wide range of taxa including insects, rodents and prehistoric humans, across varied environments including highly degraded tropical material from the Caribbean, Indonesia and South America.Current active projects include giant ground sloths from South America, post-medieval human remains from London and small mammal remains and sediment samples from Palaeolithic caves in Armenia.
Qualifications
Degrees
- Ph.D, Royal Holloway University of London, United Kingdom, 2007 - 2010
- B.Sc. (Hons), University College London, United Kingdom, 2000 - 2004
Academic
- Researcher in ancient DNA, The Natural History Museum, Earth Sciences, United Kingdom, 2017 - ongoing
- Researcher/co-investigator-Wellcome, The Natural History Museum, Earth Sciences, United Kingdom, 2013 - 2019
- Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Royal Holloway University of London, Biological Sciences, United Kingdom, 2010 - 2013
- Research/Laboratory Technican, University College London, United Kingdom, 2006 - 2007
- Honorary Researcher, University College London, United Kingdom, 2005 - 2005
- Field Research Site Manager in Kenya, Columbia University, United States, 2004 - 2005
Highlighted publications
- Mullin VE, Stephen W, Arce AN, Nash W, Raine C, Notton DG, Whiffin A, Blagderov V, Gharbi K, Hogan J, Hunter T, Irish N, Jackson S, Judd S, Watkins C, Haerty W, Ollerton J, Brace S, Gill RJ, Barnes I (2023) First large‐scale quantification study of DNA preservation in insects from natural history collections using genome‐wide sequencing. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14, 360 - 371. doi: 10.1111/2041-210x.13945
- Brace S, Diekmann Y, Booth T, Macleod R, Timpson A, Stephen W, Emery G, Cabot S, Thomas MG, Barnes I (2022) Genomes from a medieval mass burial show Ashkenazi-associated hereditary diseases pre-date the 12th century. Current Biology 32, 4350 - 4359.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.036
- Olalde I, Brace S, Allentoft ME, Armit I, Kristiansen K, Booth T, Rohland N, Mallick S, Szécsényi-Nagy A, Mittnik A, Altena E, Lipson M, Lazaridis I, Harper TK, Patterson N, Broomandkhoshbacht N, Diekmann Y, Faltyskova Z, Fernandes D, Ferry M, Harney E, De Knijff P, Michel M, Oppenheimer J, Stewardson K, Barclay A, Alt KW, Liesau C, Ríos P, Blasco C, Miguel JV, García RM, Fernández AA, Bánffy E, Bernabò-Brea M, Billoin D, Bonsall C, Bonsall L, Allen T, Büster L, Carver S, Navarro LC, Craig OE, Cook GT, Cunliffe B, Denaire A, Dinwiddy KE, Dodwell N, Ernée M, Evans C, Kuchařík M, Farré JF, Fowler C, Gazenbeek M, Pena RG, Haber-Uriarte M, Haduch E, Hey G, Jowett N, Knowles T, Massy K, Pfrengle S, Lefranc P, Lemercier O, Lefebvre A, Martínez CH, Olmo VG, Ramírez AB, Maurandi JL, Majó T, McKinley JI, McSweeney K, Mende BG, Modi A, Kulcsár G, Kiss V, Czene A, Patay R, Endrődi A, Köhler K, Hajdu T, Szeniczey T, Dani J, Bernert Z, Hoole M, Cheronet O, Keating D, Velemínský P, Dobeš M, Candilio F, Brown F, Fernández RF, Herrero-Corral A-M, Tusa S, Carnieri E, Lentini L, Valenti A, Zanini A, Waddington C, Delibes G, Guerra-Doce E, Neil B, Brittain M, Luke M, Mortimer R, Desideri J, Besse M, Brücken G, Furmanek M, Hałuszko A, Mackiewicz M, Rapiński A, Leach S, Soriano I, Lillios KT, Cardoso JL, Pearson MP, Włodarczak P, Price TD, Prieto P, Rey P-J, Risch R, Rojo Guerra MA, Schmitt A, Serralongue J, Silva AM, Smrčka V, Vergnaud L, Zilhão J, Caramelli D, Higham T, Thomas MG, Kennett DJ, Fokkens H, Heyd V, Sheridan A, Sjögren K-G, Stockhammer PW, Krause J, Pinhasi R, Haak W, Barnes I, Lalueza-Fox C, Reich D (2018) The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe. Nature 555, 190 - 196. doi: 10.1038/nature25738
- Woods R, Turvey ST, Brace S, MacPhee RDE, Barnes I (2018) Ancient DNA of the extinct Jamaican monkey Xenothrix reveals extreme insular change within a morphologically conservative radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, 12769 - 12774. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1808603115
- Brace S, Thomas JA, Dalén L, Burger J, MacPhee RDE, Barnes I, Turvey ST (2016) Evolutionary History of the Nesophontidae, the Last Unplaced Recent Mammal Family. Molecular Biology and Evolution 33, 3095 - 3103. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msw186
- Welker F, Collins MJ, Thomas JA, Wadsley M, Brace S, Cappellini E, Turvey ST, Reguero M, Gelfo JN, Kramarz A, Burger J, Thomas-Oates J, Ashford DA, Ashton PD, Rowsell K, Porter DM, Kessler B, Fischer R, Baessmann C, Kaspar S, Olsen JV, Kiley P, Elliott JA, Kelstrup CD, Mullin V, Hofreiter M, Willerslev E, Hublin J-J, Orlando L, Barnes I, MacPhee RDE (2015) Ancient proteins resolve the evolutionary history of Darwin’s South American ungulates. Nature 522, 81 - 84. doi: 10.1038/nature14249
- Martínková N, Barnett R, Cucchi T, Struchen R, Pascal M, Pascal M, Fischer MC, Higham T, Brace S, Ho SYW, Others (2013) Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands. Molecular ecology 22, 5205 - 5220.
- Brace S, Palkopoulou E, Dalén L, Lister AM, Miller R, Otte M, Germonpré M, Blockley SPE, Stewart JR, Barnes I (2012) Serial population extinctions in a small mammal indicate Late Pleistocene ecosystem instability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 20532 - 20536. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1213322109
- Brace S, Diekmann Y, Booth TJ, Van Dorp L, Faltyskova Z, Rohland N, Mallick S, Olalde I, Ferry M, Michel M, Oppenheimer J, Broomandkhoshbacht N, Stewardson K, Martiniano R, Walsh S, Kayser M, Charlton S, Hellenthal G, Armit I, Schulting R, Craig OE, Sheridan A, Parker Pearson M, Stringer C, Reich D, Thomas MG, Barnes I Ancient genomes indicate population replacement in Early Neolithic Britain. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3, 765 - 771. doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0871-9
Highlighted publications
- Mullin VE, Stephen W, Arce AN, Nash W, Raine C, Notton DG, Whiffin A, Blagderov V, Gharbi K, Hogan J, Hunter T, Irish N, Jackson S, Judd S, Watkins C, Haerty W, Ollerton J, Brace S, Gill RJ, Barnes I (2023) First large‐scale quantification study of DNA preservation in insects from natural history collections using genome‐wide sequencing. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14, 360 - 371. doi: 10.1111/2041-210x.13945
- Brace S, Diekmann Y, Booth T, Macleod R, Timpson A, Stephen W, Emery G, Cabot S, Thomas MG, Barnes I (2022) Genomes from a medieval mass burial show Ashkenazi-associated hereditary diseases pre-date the 12th century. Current Biology 32, 4350 - 4359.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.036
- Olalde I, Brace S, Allentoft ME, Armit I, Kristiansen K, Booth T, Rohland N, Mallick S, Szécsényi-Nagy A, Mittnik A, Altena E, Lipson M, Lazaridis I, Harper TK, Patterson N, Broomandkhoshbacht N, Diekmann Y, Faltyskova Z, Fernandes D, Ferry M, Harney E, De Knijff P, Michel M, Oppenheimer J, Stewardson K, Barclay A, Alt KW, Liesau C, Ríos P, Blasco C, Miguel JV, García RM, Fernández AA, Bánffy E, Bernabò-Brea M, Billoin D, Bonsall C, Bonsall L, Allen T, Büster L, Carver S, Navarro LC, Craig OE, Cook GT, Cunliffe B, Denaire A, Dinwiddy KE, Dodwell N, Ernée M, Evans C, Kuchařík M, Farré JF, Fowler C, Gazenbeek M, Pena RG, Haber-Uriarte M, Haduch E, Hey G, Jowett N, Knowles T, Massy K, Pfrengle S, Lefranc P, Lemercier O, Lefebvre A, Martínez CH, Olmo VG, Ramírez AB, Maurandi JL, Majó T, McKinley JI, McSweeney K, Mende BG, Modi A, Kulcsár G, Kiss V, Czene A, Patay R, Endrődi A, Köhler K, Hajdu T, Szeniczey T, Dani J, Bernert Z, Hoole M, Cheronet O, Keating D, Velemínský P, Dobeš M, Candilio F, Brown F, Fernández RF, Herrero-Corral A-M, Tusa S, Carnieri E, Lentini L, Valenti A, Zanini A, Waddington C, Delibes G, Guerra-Doce E, Neil B, Brittain M, Luke M, Mortimer R, Desideri J, Besse M, Brücken G, Furmanek M, Hałuszko A, Mackiewicz M, Rapiński A, Leach S, Soriano I, Lillios KT, Cardoso JL, Pearson MP, Włodarczak P, Price TD, Prieto P, Rey P-J, Risch R, Rojo Guerra MA, Schmitt A, Serralongue J, Silva AM, Smrčka V, Vergnaud L, Zilhão J, Caramelli D, Higham T, Thomas MG, Kennett DJ, Fokkens H, Heyd V, Sheridan A, Sjögren K-G, Stockhammer PW, Krause J, Pinhasi R, Haak W, Barnes I, Lalueza-Fox C, Reich D (2018) The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe. Nature 555, 190 - 196. doi: 10.1038/nature25738
- Woods R, Turvey ST, Brace S, MacPhee RDE, Barnes I (2018) Ancient DNA of the extinct Jamaican monkey Xenothrix reveals extreme insular change within a morphologically conservative radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, 12769 - 12774. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1808603115
- Brace S, Thomas JA, Dalén L, Burger J, MacPhee RDE, Barnes I, Turvey ST (2016) Evolutionary History of the Nesophontidae, the Last Unplaced Recent Mammal Family. Molecular Biology and Evolution 33, 3095 - 3103. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msw186
- Welker F, Collins MJ, Thomas JA, Wadsley M, Brace S, Cappellini E, Turvey ST, Reguero M, Gelfo JN, Kramarz A, Burger J, Thomas-Oates J, Ashford DA, Ashton PD, Rowsell K, Porter DM, Kessler B, Fischer R, Baessmann C, Kaspar S, Olsen JV, Kiley P, Elliott JA, Kelstrup CD, Mullin V, Hofreiter M, Willerslev E, Hublin J-J, Orlando L, Barnes I, MacPhee RDE (2015) Ancient proteins resolve the evolutionary history of Darwin’s South American ungulates. Nature 522, 81 - 84. doi: 10.1038/nature14249
- Martínková N, Barnett R, Cucchi T, Struchen R, Pascal M, Pascal M, Fischer MC, Higham T, Brace S, Ho SYW, Others (2013) Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands. Molecular ecology 22, 5205 - 5220.
- Brace S, Palkopoulou E, Dalén L, Lister AM, Miller R, Otte M, Germonpré M, Blockley SPE, Stewart JR, Barnes I (2012) Serial population extinctions in a small mammal indicate Late Pleistocene ecosystem instability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 20532 - 20536. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1213322109
- Brace S, Diekmann Y, Booth TJ, Van Dorp L, Faltyskova Z, Rohland N, Mallick S, Olalde I, Ferry M, Michel M, Oppenheimer J, Broomandkhoshbacht N, Stewardson K, Martiniano R, Walsh S, Kayser M, Charlton S, Hellenthal G, Armit I, Schulting R, Craig OE, Sheridan A, Parker Pearson M, Stringer C, Reich D, Thomas MG, Barnes I Ancient genomes indicate population replacement in Early Neolithic Britain. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3, 765 - 771. doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0871-9