Lluis Quintana-Murci

Lluis Quintana-Murci, a Spanish-born professor at Collège de France, holds the Human Genomics and Evolution chair since 2019. He joined CNRS in 2001 as a research fellow, became director of research, and has led the Human Evolutionary Genetics unit at Institut Pasteur since 2007. His work bridges evolutionary biology, population genetics, and immunology to study human genetic diversity.

• University of Barcelona (Biology)
• University of Pavia (PhD in Population Genetics)
• Sorbonne University (Habilitation to Direct Research)

Quintana-Murci investigates human genome diversity through three core themes: (I) demographic history of Central African and Pacific populations, (II) environmental adaptation mechanisms (especially infectious agents), and (III) genetic/epigenetic contributions to immune response variability. His research redefines host defense studies by linking evolutionary biology to medical genetics, revealing how Neanderthal/Denisovan interbreeding shaped modern immune systems.

Recent publications highlight trends in paleogenomics and disease genetics. Key studies include Oceania adaptation (2021), Tuberculosis burden in Europeans (2021), and foundational work on Bantu dispersals (2017) and Neandertal admixture (2016). These span human migration, adaptive introgression, and historical epidemiology.

Scientific Recognition:

• CNRS Bronze & Silver Medals
• Jean-Hamburger Prize (Paris)
• Académie des Sciences Prizes
• Allianz-Institut de France Prize
• ERC Grantee
• EMBO & Academia Europaea Member

As head of the Human Evolutionary Genetics unit at Institut Pasteur, he collaborates internationally with experts in genetics, anthropology, and epidemiology, advancing precision medicine through evolutionary insights.