Postdoctoral Researcher at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
Dr. Eirini Skourtanioti is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in ancient human genomics, archaeogenetics, and population genetics. Her work combines ancient DNA analysis, archaeological evidence, and bioarchaeology to explore human population history, mobility, and disease evolution. Currently, she is engaged in cutting-edge projects at the Francis Crick Institute, focusing on ancient Britain’s population structure and selection, and at Ludwig Maximilian University, co-leading research on the archaeogenetics of ancient Athens. With a track record of international collaborations across Germany, the UK, France, and the USA, her research has made significant contributions to understanding human history from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages. She has published extensively in high-impact journals including Cell, Nature, Science, and PNAS, and has presented at numerous global conferences. Recognized with awards EMBO Best Poster Award, she also contributes to teaching and mentoring, shaping the next generation of researchers in archaeogenetics and population genetics.
Professional Profile
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Education
Dr. Skourtanioti earned her Ph.D. from Friedrich Schiller University and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, graduating summa cum laude. Her doctoral thesis investigated the population history of Southwest Asia and the Aegean from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, under the supervision of Professors Johannes Krause and Wolfgang Haak. She holds a Master’s in Research in Biological Anthropology and Human Population Genetics from Université de Toulouse III, where she ranked first in her class, and a State Degree in Biology from the University of Crete. Her academic journey also includes specialized training in ancient DNA techniques, bioinformatics, and next-generation sequencing data analysis. This strong multidisciplinary foundation, combining genetics, archaeology, and computational biology, equips her with the expertise to lead complex interdisciplinary research. Her education reflects both depth and breadth, bridging the life sciences and the humanities, enabling her to tackle fundamental questions in human evolutionary history.
Experience
Dr. Skourtanioti’s research career spans several prestigious institutions. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Francis Crick Institute in London, exploring population structure and selection in ancient Britain, and at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, co-leading archaeogenetic research on ancient Athens. She was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, where she led and collaborated on projects such as the genetic history of the Caucasus and ancient malaria genomics. Her earlier experience includes a technical assistant role at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in Greece, where she contributed to the setup of an ancient DNA laboratory. She has participated in high-profile projects like the ERC-funded MySocialBeIng initiative and the Max Planck–Harvard Archaeoscience project. Beyond research, she has mentored graduate students, taught specialized aDNA courses, and presented extensively at international conferences, showcasing her leadership in archaeogenetics.
Research Interest
Dr. Skourtanioti’s research interests center on human archaeogenetics, ancient DNA analysis, and population genetics, with an emphasis on integrating genetic, archaeological, and bioarchaeological data to reconstruct population histories. She is particularly focused on understanding human mobility, admixture, and social structures from the Neolithic to the medieval period. Her work also explores pathogen genomics in historical contexts, including ancient malaria and plague, providing crucial insights into human-disease coevolution. She has a keen interest in developing and applying novel computational methods for population structure analysis and selection detection in ancient genomes. Her research aims to address broad anthropological questions—how past human societies interacted, migrated, and adapted to environmental and social changes. By combining interdisciplinary approaches and collaborating internationally, she strives to produce a synthetic view of human history that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, contributing both to the scientific community and to cultural heritage preservation.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Skourtanioti’s contributions to archaeogenetics have earned her notable recognition. She received the EMBO “Reconstructing the Human Past” Best Poster Award for her presentation on the archaeogenetics of ancient Athens. She was nominated for the prestigious Otto-Hahn Medal awarded by the Max Planck Society for outstanding scientific achievements. Earlier in her career, she received the French State Higher Education Scholarship (CROUS) to pursue her Master’s degree in France, an honor reflecting both academic excellence and research potential. Her high-impact publications in journals such as Cell, Nature, and Science have also garnered attention in the global scientific community, further solidifying her reputation as a rising leader in ancient DNA research. These awards underscore her ability to produce innovative, high-quality work that bridges genetics and archaeology, advancing our understanding of human history on both local and global scales.
Research Skills
Dr. Skourtanioti possesses an extensive set of research skills that span laboratory, computational, and interdisciplinary collaboration domains. In the laboratory, she is proficient in ancient DNA extraction, library preparation, and contamination control protocols, with experience in setting up specialized aDNA labs. Computationally, she is skilled in next-generation sequencing (NGS) data processing, bioinformatics pipelines, and population genetics analyses, including admixture modeling, kinship reconstruction, and selection detection. She has expertise in integrating genomic data with archaeological and isotopic evidence, enabling multi-layered interpretations of human history. Her linguistic abilities—fluent in Greek, English, Spanish, and French—facilitate collaboration across international teams. Additionally, she has experience in project leadership, grant collaborations, mentoring, and teaching specialized courses. These skills, combined with her publication record in top-tier journals, make her adept at delivering impactful, interdisciplinary research that pushes the boundaries of archaeogenetics.
Publications Top Notes
Title: Genomic history of Neolithic to Bronze Age Anatolia, Northern Levant, and Southern Caucasus
Authors: E. Skourtanioti, Y.S. Erdal, M. Frangipane, F.B. Restelli, K.A. Yener, F. Pinnock, et al.
Year: 2020
Citations: 178
Title: Ten millennia of hepatitis B virus evolution
Authors: A. Kocher, L. Papac, R. Barquera, F.M. Key, M.A. Spyrou, R. Hübler, E. Skourtanioti, et al.
Year: 2021
Citations: 98
Title: Comparative phylogeography of six herpetofauna species in Cyprus: late Miocene to Pleistocene colonization routes
Authors: N. Poulakakis, P. Kapli, A. Kardamaki, E. Skourtanioti, B. Göcmen, Ç. Ilgaz, et al.
Year: 2013
Citations: 66
Title: Ancient DNA reveals admixture history and endogamy in the prehistoric Aegean
Authors: E. Skourtanioti, H. Ringbauer, G.A. Gnecchi Ruscone, R.A. Bianco, M. Burri, et al.
Year: 2023
Citations: 54
Title: A reinvestigation of phylogeny and divergence times of the Ablepharus kitaibelii species complex (Sauria, Scincidae) based on mtDNA and nuDNA genes
Authors: E. Skourtanioti, P. Kapli, Ç. Ilgaz, Y. Kumlutaş, A. Avcı, F. Ahmadzadeh, et al.
Year: 2016
Citations: 52
Title: Using Y-chromosome capture enrichment to resolve haplogroup H2 shows new evidence for a two-path Neolithic expansion to Western Europe
Authors: A.B. Rohrlach, L. Papac, A. Childebayeva, M. Rivollat, V. Villalba-Mouco, E. Skourtanioti, et al.
Year: 2021
Citations: 41
Title: Ancient Plasmodium genomes shed light on the history of human malaria
Authors: M. Michel, E. Skourtanioti, F. Pierini, E.K. Guevara, A. Mötsch, A. Kocher, et al.
Year: 2024
Citations: 23
Title: Human mobility at Tell Atchana (Alalakh), Hatay, Turkey during the 2nd millennium BC: Integration of isotopic and genomic evidence
Authors: T. Ingman, S. Eisenmann, E. Skourtanioti, M. Akar, J. Ilgner, et al.
Year: 2021
Citations: 21
Title: Ancient Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica genomes from Bronze Age Crete
Authors: G.U. Neumann, E. Skourtanioti, M. Burri, E.A. Nelson, M. Michel, A.N. Hiss, et al.
Year: 2022
Citations: 19
Conclusion
Dr. Eirini Skourtanioti is an outstanding candidate for the Best Researcher Award, with an impressive academic trajectory, impactful international collaborations, and a publication record in some of the world’s most prestigious journals. Her research not only advances the scientific understanding of ancient human history but also enriches cultural heritage studies, demonstrating both scientific excellence and societal relevance. With her leadership potential, interdisciplinary expertise, and commitment to advancing archaeogenetics, she is well-positioned to make further groundbreaking contributions in the years ahead, making her highly deserving of this recognition.
