معرفی
Mehmet Somel is a Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey. He leads the METU/Hacettepe Archaeogenomics Laboratory and focuses on evolutionary genetics, archaeogenomics, and the molecular mechanisms of aging. His research integrates genomic and transcriptomic data to address questions about human evolution, domestication processes, and population dynamics.
- Education:
- Ph.D. in Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Leipzig / Max-Planck Institute (2008)
- M.Sc. in Biotechnology, Middle East Technical University (2003)
- B.Sc. in Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (2001)
Research Interests: Dr. Somel’s work spans evolutionary genetics, archaeogenomics, and aging. Key areas include ancient DNA analysis of humans and domestic animals, population genomics of modern populations, and the molecular basis of brain aging. His laboratory contributes to understanding human demographic history and the genetic underpinnings of complex traits.
Recent Research Trends: Recent studies focus on phylogenetic analysis of Mediterranean mouflons, pre-processing techniques for ancient genomes, and the population history of domestic sheep. His work bridges archaeology, genetics, and computational biology to reconstruct past human and animal populations.
Labs/Teams: He directs the Ancient DNA Laboratory and collaborates with international teams on projects like the NEOGENE Project (ERC-funded) examining Neolithic demographic transitions in Anatolia.
