Fellowship / Fellows

John Wakeley

  • 2004–2005
  • Biological Sciences
  • Augustus Anson Whitney Scholar
  • Harvard University
Headshot of John Wakeley
Photo by Tony Rinaldo

This information is accurate as of the fellowship year indicated for each fellow.

John Wakeley uses mathematical models of the dynamics of genetic variation within populations and species to understand the forces that produce and maintain variation. A primary goal of this work is to obtain simple and useful models that can be shown mathematically to approximate the behavior of complex, structured populations. His recent research focuses on populations that are subdivided into many geographically local groups and has resulted in new descriptions of the genetic ancestry of sampled data.

During his fellowship year, Wakeley will explore new limiting models that arise from recent advances in biotechnology, in particular the ability to sequence DNA. He will study the utility of genome-sized samples of DNA from many individuals to provide high-resolution inferences about the current and historical structure of populations and species.

Wakeley earned his PhD in biology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1994 and his BS and MS in biology from Stanford University in 1989. He received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2004, and his research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is the Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Biology at Harvard University.

Our 2023–2024 Fellows

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