Leonardo Arias Alvis
Postdoc
- Name
- Dr. L. Arias Alvis
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 2125
- l.arias.alvis@hum.leidenuniv.nl
I am an evolutionary biologist who uses population genetics to understand human population history and the origin and maintenance of linguistic diversity in Western Amazonia. I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Linguistics.
Fields of interest
- Population genetics
- Molecular Anthropology
- Evolutionary Anthropology
- Sociocultural diversity
- Language diversity
- Gene-language coevolution
Research
My research focuses on understanding human population history and the impact of sociocultural practices on patterns of genetic diversity among extant and extinct human populations. I am particularly interested in Western Amazonia, an area well known for its enormous biological, linguistic and cultural diversity. For my research, I conduct anthropologically informed fieldwork and use cutting-edge DNA sequencing technologies and population genetics to gain new insights about the human past of this region.
Grants and awards
- 2012 Colombian Science Foundation (COLCIENCIAS) Graduate scholarship to conduct PhD studies abroad.
- 2011 German Academic Exchange Servive (DAAD) (code number: A/11/15253) Award for a Research Stay, Host Institute: MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- 2007 Universidad del Valle, Vicerrectoría de investigaciones (código de proyecto CI7747) “Obtención de ADN arqueológico y su validación para el estudio comparativo de la diversidad genética de poblaciones prehispánicas y amerindias actuales del Sur-Occidente colombiano”
Curriculum vitae
- 2018, PhD Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. Thesis: Human population history of Northwestern Amazonia, Colombia. Advisors: Prof. Dr. Mark Stoneking and Dr. Brigitte Pakendorf
- 2012, MSc. Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Dept. Biology, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Thesis: Study of the genetic variation in the mitochondrial DNA of Native American populations from Amazonia and pre-Hispanic human remains from the Colombian Andes. Advisor: Dr. Guillermo Barreto
- 2006, BSc Biology, mention in genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Dept. Biology, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Thesis: Determination of the allele frequencies of eight autosomal STRs in two Amerindian population samples from the Guaviare Department. Advisor: Dr. Guillermo Barreto
Postdoc
- Faculty of Humanities
- Leiden Univ Centre for Linguistics
- LUCL TCIA
- Gijn E. van, Norder S., Arias Alvis L., Emlen N.Q., Azevedo M.C.B.C., Caine A., Dunn S.E., Howard A.H., Julmi N.P., Krasnoukhova O., Stoneking M. & Wiegertjes J.S. (2023), The social lives of isolates (and small language families): the case of the Northwest Amazon, Interface Focus 13(1): 1-22.
- Arias Alvis L., Emlen N.Q., Norder S., Julmi N.P., Lemus S.M., Chacon T., Wiegertjes J.S., Howard A.H., Azevedo M.C.B.C., Caine A., Dunn S.E., Stoneking M. & Gijn R. van (2023), Interpreting mismatches between linguistic and genetic patterns among speakers of Tanimuka (Eastern Tukanoan) and Yukuna (Arawakan), Interface Focus 13(1): 20220056.
- Emlen N.Q., Arias Alvis L. & Gijn E. van (2023), Multidisciplinary approaches to the Amazonian past: introduction to the theme issue, Interface Focus 13(1): 20220068.
- Arias L., Barreto G., Pakendorf B. & Stoneking M. (2020), Genomic insights into the human population history of Northwestern Amazonia. The 89th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists 15 April 2020 - 18 April 2020. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. New York: WILEY. 9-10.
- Barbieri C., Barquera R., Arias Alvis L., Sandoval J.R., Acosta O., Zurita C., Aguilar-Campos A., Tito-Alvarez A.M., Serrano-Osuna R., Gray R.D., Mafessoni F., Heggarty P., Shimizu K.K., Fujita R., Stoneking M., Pugach I. & Fehren-Schmitz L. (2020), Genetic relationships and linguistic diversity in present-day populations of South America. The 89th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists 15 April 2020 - 18 April 2020. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. New York: WILEY. 17-18.
- Macholdt E., Arias Alvis L., Duong N.T., Ton N.D., Phong N.V., Schröder R., Pakendorf B., Hai N.V. & Stoneking M. (2020), The paternal and maternal genetic history of Vietnamese populations, European Journal of Human Genetics 28: 636-645.
- Barbieri C., Barquera R., Arias L., Sandoval J.R., Acosta O., Zurita C., Aguilar-Campos A., Tito-Alvarez A.M., Serrano-Osuna R., Gray R.D., Mafessoni F., Heggarty P., Shimizu K.K., Fujita R., Stoneking M., Pugach I. & Fehren-Schmitz .L (2019), The Current Genomic Landscape of Western South America: Andes, Amazonia, and Pacific Coast, Molecular Biology and Evolution 36(12): 2698-2713.
- Kutanan W., Kampuansai J., Srikummool M., Brunelli A., Ghirotto S., Arias L., Macholdt E., Hubner A., Schroder R. & Stoneking M. (2019), Contrasting Paternal and Maternal Genetic Histories of Thai and Lao Populations, Molecular Biology and Evolution 36(7): 1490-1506.
- Duong N.T., Macholdt E., Ton N.D., Arias L., Schroder R., Phong N.V., Thuy V.T.B., Ha N.H., Hue H.T.T., Xuan N.T., Oanh K.T.P., Hien L.T.T., Hoang N.H., Pakendorf B., Stoneking M. & Hai N.V. (2018), Complete human mtDNA genome sequences from Vietnam and the phylogeography of Mainland Southeast Asia, Scientific Reports 8: .
- Arias L., Schroder R., Hubner A., Barreto G., Stoneking M. & Pakendorf B. (2018), Cultural Innovations Influence Patterns of Genetic Diversity in Northwestern Amazonia, Molecular Biology and Evolution 35(11): 2719-2735.
- Arias L., Barbieri C., Barreto G., Stoneking M. & Pakendorf B. (2018), High-resolution mitochondrial DNA analysis sheds light on human diversity, cultural interactions, and population mobility in Northwestern Amazonia, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 165(2): 238-255.
- Kutanan W., Kampuansai J., Brunelli A., Ghirotto S., Pittayaporn P., Ruangchai S., Schroder R., Macholdt E., Srikummool M., Kangwanpong D., Hubner A., Arias L. & Stoneking M. (2018), New insights from Thailand into the maternal genetic history of Mainland Southeast Asia, European Journal of Human Genetics 26: 898-911.