Marieke van de Loosdrecht

Marieke van de Loosdrecht is an External employee in the Department of Biosystematics at Wageningen University & Research. Her work focuses on the genetic and historical dimensions of crops and human populations, with a particular emphasis on African agricultural heritage and ancient DNA analysis. She collaborates internationally on projects exploring genomic diversity in traditional rice varieties and prehistoric human migrations.

Research interests include crop domestication, colonial impact on agricultural systems, and the genetic histories of plant and human populations. For example, her work on Maroon rice varieties in Suriname and French Guiana traces 350 years of colonial influence through genomic data. Other projects involve analyzing ancient DNA from North African populations to understand prehistoric migration patterns.

Her recent publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches combining genomics with anthropology and archaeology. Notable contributions include studies on Saharan pastoralism and the genetic continuity of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in Iberia. She has contributed datasets to repositories like NCBI, preserving genetic information of heirloom rice varieties.

Marieke has been featured in media outlets for her research on rice varieties' African origins and ancient DNA findings. Her work bridges academic disciplines to illuminate historical and biological processes shaping modern agricultural and human diversity.