Ida Moltke

Ida Moltke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science, specializing in Computational and RNA Biology. She leads a research group focused on developing and applying statistical and computational methods to genomic data. Her work spans both population genetics and medical genetics, with particular emphasis on human evolution, population history, and identifying genetic variants associated with diseases like type 2 diabetes.

• Current position: Associate Professor (Promotion Programme), Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen (2024-present)
• Previous positions: Associate Professor (2020-2024), Assistant Professor (2015-2019)
• Education: PhD in Biology (2011), MSc in Bioinformatics (2007), BSc in Computer Science and Math (2005), all from University of Copenhagen

Dr. Moltke's research focuses on developing novel bioinformatics tools to analyze genomic data, with applications in understanding human evolution and identifying genetic factors in diseases. Her group has made significant contributions to studying Greenlandic populations and their unique genetic architecture. She has developed several widely used software packages including NgsRelate, localNgsRelate, and RelateAdmix for analyzing relatedness from low-coverage sequencing data.

Her recent publications span diverse topics from human population history to conservation genomics of endangered species. Notable work includes studies on genetic architecture in Greenlandic populations, analysis of the saola genome, and research on diabetes genetics. Her research has been published in high-impact journals including Nature, Cell, and Nature Communications.

• Carlsberg Foundation Young Researcher Fellowship (2021-2025)
• ERC Starting Grant (2019-2023)
• Villum Young Investigator Award (2019-2024)
• L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2016)
• SSSD Young Investigators Award (2015)
• Sapere Aude: DFF Young Elite Researcher Award (2012)

Dr. Moltke actively mentors students, with her PhD student Frederik winning multiple awards including the Charles J. Epstein Award. She serves on PhD committees at multiple institutions and has organized numerous scientific meetings including EMBO conferences. Her group has developed multiple bioinformatics tools that are widely used in the field for analyzing relatedness from low-coverage sequencing data.