Wlasnowolski, M., Kozlov, N., Wojcik, M., Jacobs, GS. and Plewczynski, D.,
2026.
enhancer3D: 3D chromatin structures and enhancer-promoter distance profiles for archaic and modern human genomes
Nucleic Acids Research,
v. 54
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaf1256
Biography
My research uses population genetics to better understand human evolutionary history, including adaptation, genetic demography and archaic introgression. I am interested in how large-scale patterns of genetic variation, over countries and continents, are impacted by local social behaviours such as kinship practices, migration and movement decisions, and social hierarchies. I combine modelling and simulation with information from human genetics and other sources (linguistics, movement ecology, ancient DNA, domesticate genetics and the microbiome) to better understand these processes. My work has a regional focus in South Asia and islands in Southeast Asia.
I will be on Research Leave for Michaelmas and Lent terms 2024/25.
Research
- Human evolutionary genetics
- Social behaviour and genetic diversity
- Non-human genetics and the microbiome
- Hunter-gatherer genetic variation
Ongoing and past research projects:
- 2021-2026: MOBILE: Movement networks and genetic evolution among tropical hunter-gatherers of island Southeast Asia (PI, ERC Starting Grant)
- 2019-2021: Pilot study of Cave Punan hunter-gatherers of Borneo (with Prof. Steve Lansing and Dr Pradiptajati Kusuma)
- 2018-2020: Borneo Human Genome and Microbiome Diversity in Association with Health and Disease (with the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology)
- 2018-2020: Archaic introgression and the evolution of modern humans (NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship)
- 2016-2019: The Indonesian Genome Diversity Project (with the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology)
Publication
2026
2025 (Accepted for publication)
Jacobs, G., Febinia, CA., Luqman, H. and Lewis, J.,
2025 (Accepted for publication).
From sporulation to village differentiation: the shaping of the social microbiome over rural-to-urban lifestyle transition in Indonesia
Cell reports,
Wlasnowolski, M., Kozlov, N., Wojcik, M., Jacobs, G. and Plewczynski, D.,
2025 (Accepted for publication).
enhancer3D: 3D Chromatin Structures and Enhancer–Promoter Distance Profiles for Archaic and Modern Human Genomes
Nucleic Acids Research (NAR),
2023 (Accepted for publication)
Kusuma, P., Cox, M., Barker, G., Sudoyo, H., Lansing, JS. and Jacobs, G.,
2023 (Accepted for publication).
Deep ancestry of Bornean hunter-gatherers supports long-term local ancestry dynamics
Cell Reports,
2023
Lansing, JS., Kremer, JN., Suryawan, IBG., Sathiakumar, S., Jacobs, GS., Chung, NN. and Artha Wiguna, IWA.,
2023.
Adaptive irrigation management by Balinese farmers reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases rice yields.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci,
v. 378
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0400
2022 (Accepted for publication)
Lansing, JS., Jacobs, GS., Downey, SS., Norquest, PK., Cox, MP., Kuhn, SL., Miller, JH., Malik, SG., Sudoyo, H. and Kusuma, P.,
2022 (Accepted for publication).
Deep ancestry of collapsing networks of nomadic hunter-gatherers in Borneo
Evolutionary Human Sciences,
v. 4
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2022.3
2022
Natri, HM., Hudjashov, G., Jacobs, G., Kusuma, P., Saag, L., Darusallam, CC., Metspalu, M., Sudoyo, H., Cox, MP., Gallego Romero, I. and Banovich, NE.,
2022.
Genetic architecture of gene regulation in Indonesian populations identifies QTLs associated with global and local ancestries.
Am J Hum Genet,
v. 109
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.11.017
Vespasiani, DM., Jacobs, GS., Cook, LE., Brucato, N., Leavesley, M., Kinipi, C., Ricaut, F-X., Cox, MP. and Gallego Romero, I.,
2022.
Denisovan introgression has shaped the immune system of present-day Papuans.
PLoS Genet,
v. 18
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010470
2021
Teixeira, JC., Jacobs, GS., Stringer, C., Tuke, J., Hudjashov, G., Purnomo, GA., Sudoyo, H., Cox, MP., Tobler, R., Turney, CSM., Cooper, A. and Helgen, KM.,
2021.
Widespread Denisovan ancestry in Island Southeast Asia but no evidence of substantial super-archaic hominin admixture.
Nat Ecol Evol,
v. 5
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01408-0
Lansing, JS., Chung, NN., Chew, LY. and Jacobs, GS.,
2021.
Averting evolutionary suicide from the tragedy of the commons
International Journal of the Commons,
v. 15
Doi: http://doi.org/10.5334/IJC.1118
2020
Natri, HM., Bobowik, KS., Kusuma, P., Crenna Darusallam, C., Jacobs, GS., Hudjashov, G., Lansing, JS., Sudoyo, H., Banovich, NE., Cox, MP. and Gallego Romero, I.,
2020.
Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression patterns reflect genetic ancestry and environmental differences across the Indonesian archipelago.
PLoS Genet,
v. 16
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008749
Rai, N., Verma, SK., Gaur, A., Iliescu, FM., Thakur, M., Golla, TR., Chandra, K., Prakash, S., Tabasum, W., Ara, S., Singh, L., Thangaraj, K. and Jacobs, GS.,
2020.
Ancient mtDNA from the extinct Indian cheetah supports unexpectedly deep divergence from African cheetahs.
Sci Rep,
v. 10
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60751-7
Riddell, J., Basu Mallick, C., Jacobs, GS., Schoenebeck, JJ. and Headon, DJ.,
2020.
Characterisation of a second gain of function EDAR variant, encoding EDAR380R, in East Asia.
Eur J Hum Genet,
v. 28
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-020-0660-6
2019
Jacobs, GS., Hudjashov, G., Saag, L., Kusuma, P., Darusallam, CC., Lawson, DJ., Mondal, M., Pagani, L., Ricaut, F-X., Stoneking, M., Metspalu, M., Sudoyo, H., Lansing, JS. and Cox, MP.,
2019.
Multiple Deeply Divergent Denisovan Ancestries in Papuans
Cell,
v. 177
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.035
Chung, NN., Jacobs, GS., Sudoyo, H., Malik, SG., Chew, LY., Lansing, JS. and Cox, MP.,
2019.
Sex-linked genetic diversity originates from persistent sociocultural processes at microgeographic scales.
R Soc Open Sci,
v. 6
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190733
2018
Iliescu, FM., Chaplin, G., Rai, N., Jacobs, GS., Basu Mallick, C., Mishra, A., Thangaraj, K. and Jablonski, NG.,
2018.
The influences of genes, the environment, and social factors on the evolution of skin color diversity in India.
Am J Hum Biol,
v. 30
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23170
2017
Lansing, JS., Abundo, C., Jacobs, GS., Guillot, EG., Thurner, S., Downey, SS., Chew, LY., Bhattacharya, T., Chung, NN., Sudoyo, H. and Cox, MP.,
2017.
Kinship structures create persistent channels for language transmission.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A,
v. 114
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706416114
Eichstaedt, CA., Pagani, L., Antao, T., Inchley, CE., Cardona, A., Mörseburg, A., Clemente, FJ., Sluckin, TJ., Metspalu, E., Mitt, M., Mägi, R., Hudjashov, G., Metspalu, M., Mormina, M., Jacobs, GS. and Kivisild, T.,
2017.
Evidence of Early-Stage Selection on EPAS1 and GPR126 Genes in Andean High Altitude Populations.
Sci Rep,
v. 7
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13382-4
2016
Jacobs, GS., Sluckin, TJ. and Kivisild, T.,
2016.
Refining the Use of Linkage Disequilibrium as a Robust Signature of Selective Sweeps.
Genetics,
v. 203
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.115.185900
Pagani, L., Lawson, DJ., Jagoda, E., Mörseburg, A., Eriksson, A., Mitt, M., Clemente, F., Hudjashov, G., DeGiorgio, M., Saag, L., Wall, JD., Cardona, A., Mägi, R., Wilson Sayres, MA., Kaewert, S., Inchley, C., Scheib, CL., Järve, M., Karmin, M., Jacobs, GS., Antao, T., Iliescu, FM., Kushniarevich, A., Ayub, Q., Tyler-Smith, C., Xue, Y., Yunusbayev, B., Tambets, K., Mallick, CB., Saag, L., Pocheshkhova, E., Andriadze, G., Muller, C., Westaway, MC., Lambert, DM., Zoraqi, G., Turdikulova, S., Dalimova, D., Sabitov, Z., Sultana, GNN., Lachance, J., Tishkoff, S., Momynaliev, K., Isakova, J., Damba, LD., Gubina, M., Nymadawa, P., Evseeva, I., Atramentova, L., Utevska, O., Ricaut, F-X., Brucato, N., Sudoyo, H., Letellier, T., Cox, MP., Barashkov, NA., Skaro, V., Mulahasanovic, L., Primorac, D., Sahakyan, H., Mormina, M., Eichstaedt, CA., Lichman, DV., Abdullah, S., Chaubey, G., Wee, JTS., Mihailov, E., Karunas, A., Litvinov, S., Khusainova, R., Ekomasova, N., Akhmetova, V., Khidiyatova, I., Marjanović, D., Yepiskoposyan, L., Behar, DM., Balanovska, E., Metspalu, A., Derenko, M., Malyarchuk, B., Voevoda, M., Fedorova, SA., Osipova, LP., Lahr, MM., Gerbault, P., Leavesley, M., Migliano, AB., Petraglia, M., Balanovsky, O., Khusnutdinova, EK., Metspalu, E., Thomas, MG., Manica, A., Nielsen, R., Villems, R., Willerslev, E., Kivisild, T. and Metspalu, M.,
2016.
Genomic analyses inform on migration events during the peopling of Eurasia.
Nature,
v. 538
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/nature19792
Inchley, CE., Larbey, CDA., Shwan, NAA., Pagani, L., Saag, L., Antão, T., Jacobs, G., Hudjashov, G., Metspalu, E., Mitt, M., Eichstaedt, CA., Malyarchuk, B., Derenko, M., Wee, J., Abdullah, S., Ricaut, F-X., Mormina, M., Mägi, R., Villems, R., Metspalu, M., Jones, MK., Armour, JAL. and Kivisild, T.,
2016.
Selective sweep on human amylase genes postdates the split with Neanderthals
Scientific Reports,
v. 6
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/srep37198
2015
Jacobs, GS. and Sluckin, TJ.,
2015.
Long-range dispersal, stochasticity and the broken accelerating wave of advance.
Theor Popul Biol,
v. 100C
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2014.12.003
2014
Kaiping, GA., Jacobs, GS., Cox, SJ. and Sluckin, TJ.,
2014.
Nonequivalence of updating rules in evolutionary games under high mutation rates.
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys,
v. 90
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.90.042726
Clemente, FJ., Cardona, A., Inchley, CE., Peter, BM., Jacobs, G., Pagani, L., Lawson, DJ., Antão, T., Vicente, M., Mitt, M., DeGiorgio, M., Faltyskova, Z., Xue, Y., Ayub, Q., Szpak, M., Mägi, R., Eriksson, A., Manica, A., Raghavan, M., Rasmussen, M., Rasmussen, S., Willerslev, E., Vidal-Puig, A., Tyler-Smith, C., Villems, R., Nielsen, R., Metspalu, M., Malyarchuk, B., Derenko, M. and Kivisild, T.,
2014.
A Selective Sweep on a Deleterious Mutation in CPT1A in Arctic Populations.
Am J Hum Genet,
v. 95
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.09.016
2025 (No publication date)
Jacobs, G., Attenborough, R. and Kusuma, P.,
2025 (No publication date).
Deep histories in New Guinea: Insights from human genetics on local demography and social processes
2025
Jacobs, G., Attenborough, R. and Kusuma, P.,
2025.
Deep histories in New Guinea: Insights from human genetics on regional demography and archaic introgression
Jacobs, G., Attenborough, R. and Kusuma, P.,
2025.
Deep histories in New Guinea: Insights from genetics on human adaptation to malaria and diverse environments
2018
Eichstaedt, C., Pagani, L., Antao, T., Inchley, C., Cardona, A., Mörseburg, A., Clemente, F., Sluckin, T., Metspalu, E., Mitt, M., Mägi, R., Hudjashov, G., Metspalu, M., Mormina, M., Jacobs, G. and Kivisild, T.,
2018.
New evidence of genetic adaptation to high altitude in Andean populations
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.pa1274
2017
Iliescu, FM., Chaplin, G., Rai, N., Jacobs, G., Mallick, CB., Mishra, A., Goto, R., Tamang, R., Chaubey, G., Romero, IG., Crivellaro, F., Pitchappan, R., Singh, L., Mirazon-Lahr, M., Metspalu, M., Thangaraj, K., Kivisild, T. and Jablonski, NG.,
2017.
The complicated genetic landscape of skin color in India
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY,
v. 162
Teaching and Supervisions
I am involved in the teaching of the following courses:
Paper B1: Humans in Biological Perspective
Paper B4: Comparative Human Biology
Paper B16 – Genomes: Ancient, Modern and Mixed
I am interested in supervising students who wish to study for an MPhil or a PhD in the following topics:
- Genetics of archaic introgression
- Human microbiome diversity and evolution
- Genetic adaptation and signals of selection
- Modelling the genetics of social behaviour
- Human-domesticate coevolution
- Genetics of South Asian cattle