Christina Warinner

Christina Warinner is a Professor of Anthropology and Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, focusing on ancient biomolecules to study human diet, health, and microbiome evolution. She leads international research teams at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Leibniz Institute in Germany, and chairs the Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean. Her work integrates archaeology, genetics, and microbiology to explore topics like prehistoric migrations, dairy pastoralism origins, and ancient oral microbiome ecology. She has been recognized with prestigious awards including the AAA Exemplary Cross-Fields Award and the Shanghai Archaeological Forum Research Award.

Her research includes groundbreaking studies on the oldest Neanderthal microbiome and the biodiversity of the human gut microbiome. She actively engages in public outreach through initiatives like the Adventures in Archaeological Science coloring book, which has been translated into over 60 languages. Warinner advocates for open science, data sharing, and improving scholarly communication, while leading projects such as the Dairy Cultures museum exhibit and the Heirloom Microbes study tracing food fermentation microbes.

Her recent projects include investigating high-altitude human adaptation in the Himalayas, reconstructing trade networks via ancient biomolecules, and studying the evolution of dairy microbes. She serves on leadership boards for institutions like the International Society for Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA) and the American Center for Mongolian Studies.

• Research Interests: Ancient DNA, Paleogenomics, Microbial Ecology, Prehistoric Migrations, Dairy Pastoralism, Archaeological Science Communication
• Key Collaborations: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Products Research and Infection Biology, American School for Prehistoric Research
• Outreach: Coloring book project, museum exhibits, TED Talks (2M+ views), educational partnerships worldwide