Meet Lydia Furness, our new postdoctoral researcher in interdisciplinary genetics


Lydia Hildebrand Furness (Photo: UiO, Norway).

“My research background lies at the intersection of archaeology, evolutionary anthropology, and biomolecular science. I trained initially as an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool, specialising in archaeological science and early human evolution, which provided a strong foundation in archaeological practice, material analysis, and the ethical dimensions of working with human remains and cultural heritage.”

“I subsequently completed an MPhil in Biological Anthropology (Human Evolutionary Studies) at the University of Cambridge, where my focus shifted toward human evolutionary biology, population genetics, and ancient DNA.”

Lydia has recently completed her PhD in archaeogenomics at the University of Oslo, Norway, where she has specialised in aDNA and population genomics within a historical ecology framework.

Welcome to the Center for the Human Past, Lydia!


  • Diachronic reuse of Neolithic burial monuments by Bronze Age newcomers in Southwestern Britain

    Diachronic reuse of Neolithic burial monuments by Bronze Age newcomers in Southwestern Britain

    A new paper, co-authored by Nikola Vuković, Carolina Bernhardsson and Mattias Jakobsson, from the Human Evolution Program at Uppsala University, in close collaboration with British archaeologists, has recently been published in Scientific Reports:Vuković, N., Bernhardsson, C., Edlund, H., Delbarre, G., Smith, M., Darvill, T., … & Jakobsson, M. (2026). Diachronic reuse of Neolithic burial monuments…

  • The Tie That Binds Us?

    The Tie That Binds Us?

    A new article discussing ancient DNA, kinship studies and human connection across time, co-authored by one of our former Human Past SCAS Fellows, Mehmet Somel, has just been published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal. Moots, H. M., Tsosie, K. S., & Somel, M. (2026). The Tie That Binds Us? Challenging the Primacy of DNA in Kinship Studies…

  • A new grant to develop cross-cutting research projects

    A new grant to develop cross-cutting research projects

    Uppsala University Future Institutes (UUniFI), CIRCUS (Centre for Integrated Research on Culture and Society) has decided to support our work on the development of an interdisciplinary research project titled “Mechanisms of Human Migration: Causes, Processes & Consequences“. The UUniFI Circus will provide both financial and administrative support and host a seminar series in which project…