Leonardo Arias Alvis

Leonardo Arias Alvis is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Evolutionary Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig. He holds a PhD in Evolutionary Genetics (2018, MPI-EVA) and earlier degrees from Universidad del Valle, Colombia. His research focuses on human population history, genetic diversity in Amazonian indigenous groups, and the impact of sociocultural practices on genetic patterns. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Colombia’s Amazonia, collecting genetic samples from over 30 ethnolinguistic groups.

Education: PhD (2012–2018, MPI-EVA), MSc (2007–2012, Universidad del Valle), BSc (2000–2006, Universidad del Valle). He has taught courses on human population history, molecular anthropology, and applied phylogenetics at the University of Leipzig and MPI-EVA. His grants include a COLCIENCIAS scholarship and a DAAD Research Stay Award.

Research interests include genomic analysis of demographic history, fine-scale population structure in Amazonia, and interdisciplinary approaches linking genetics with linguistics/anthropology. His work has revealed extensive intergroup interactions facilitated by river networks and historical migration patterns. Key projects include studies on Northwestern Amazonia’s genetic diversity and the demographic history of Colombia’s Bogotá Altiplano.

Scientific awards include the COLCIENCIAS Graduate Scholarship and DAAD Research Stay Award. His work has been published in journals like Science Advances, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.