University of Richmond biology professor Melinda Yang has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award totaling more than $990,000 to expand understanding of the genetic adaptations that have helped humans survive and thrive over time.

Over the next five years, Yang, an expert in ancient DNA, will develop an easy-to-use computational tool that combines genetic data from both ancient and present-day populations, allowing researchers to more accurately identify genetic changes shaped by natural selection throughout human history.

Although advances in DNA sequencing have uncovered important evolutionary adaptations, including genetic changes related to alcohol metabolism and the ability to digest milk, most existing analytical tools have focused primarily on people of West Eurasian ancestry. Yang’s project will address that gap by creating a demographic model for East and Southeast Asian populations, providing scientists with an important new resource for studying human evolution across a broader range of populations.

The project will also create new research opportunities for undergraduate students. Yang will develop a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) for students enrolled in her Human Evolutionary Genomics course. Students will have the opportunity to analyze ancient DNA datasets and investigate how natural selection has shaped genes in populations around the world.

Beyond Richmond, Yang will train faculty members across the country to incorporate the curriculum into their own classrooms, expanding training and research experiences for students.

“This research and these new tools will lower technical barriers and expand the geographic scope of selection studies,” Yang said. “We are excited that this NSF-funded work will diversify research on human adaptation, accelerate discovery of evolutionarily important genes, and build bioinformatics capacity among the next generation of scientists and educators.”

The NSF CAREER program supports early-career faculty who demonstrate exceptional potential to integrate outstanding research with education. The award recognizes scholars who are poised to become academic leaders while advancing discovery and mentoring future scientists. Yang is the second University of Richmond faculty member in recent years to receive the honor, following chemistry professor Miles Johnson, who earned a CAREER Award in 2021.