Faculty

Biography

He Yu, principal Investigator at State Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research, Institute of Ecology and School of Life Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Science degree and Ph.D. from Peking University in 2012 and 2018, respectively. From 2018 to 2021, she was a postdoctoral researcher in Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany. In December of 2021, she joined the School of Life Sciences and the State Key Laboratory. Dr. Yu’s lab works on ancient genomics of human and animals. Utilizing ancient DNA techniques, next generation sequencing and bioinformatics, she is focused on investigating the genetic history of hunter-gatherers across Eurasia, and the origin and dispersal of domestic and human-commensal animals, which is closely associated with human population mobility and technology development. Her researches were published in leading journals including Nature, Cell, Nature Communications and Science Advances.

Education

2013 - 2018 Ph. D. in Zoology, Peking University, Beijing, China
2010 - 2012 B. A. in History (Minor), Peking University, Beijing, China
2008 - 2012 B. S. in Biological Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China

Professional Experience

2021.12 - present Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2021.6 - 2021.11 Postdoctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
2018.8 - 2021.5  Postdoctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
2012 - 2013  Technician, Peking University, Beijing, China

Honors and Awards

2026 Wiley Star Scientist Shortlisted Award
2025 Second Prize, 24th Young Teachers' Basic Teaching Skills Competition, Peking University
2024 Best teaching award, School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2023 Peking University Boya Young Fellow
2021 Yifang Scholar, Yifang Foundation

Porfessional Society Affiliations

International Society of Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA), Programming and Affiliate Coordinator, 2025-present
The Genetics Society of China, Animal genetics, Committee member, 2025-present
China Bioinformatics Society, Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Committee member, 2024-present

Teaching

Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics
Ancient DNA and Human Evolution
General Biology (For Astrobiology)
Joint Field Internship Expedition in Lenghu, Qaidam basin

Ancient Genomics, Population genetics

Han, Y. #, Hu, S. #, et al., Yu, H. *, Alves, J. M. *, Larson, G. *, Luo, S.-J. * (2026). The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism. Cell Genomics, 6, 101099.
Han, Y.#, Zhao Z.#, et al., Larson, G.*, Yu, H.* (2025). Ancient Genomics Reveals the Origin, Dispersal, and Human Management of East Asian Domestic Pigs, Molecular Biology and Evolution, 42(9), msaf214.
Posth, C.*, Yu, H.*, Ghalichi, A., Rougier, H., Crevecoeur, I., Huang, Y., Ringbauer, H., Rohrlach, A.B., Nägele, K., Villalba-Mouco, V., et al. (2023). Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers. Nature 615, 117–126.
Yu, H.*, Jamieson, A.*, Hulme-Beaman, A., Conroy, C.J., Knight, B., Speller, C., Al-Jarah, H., Eager, H., Trinks, A., Adikari, G., et al. (2022). Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history. Nat. Commun. 13, 2399.
Yu, H.*, van de Loosdrecht*, M.S., Mannino*, M.A., Talamo, S., Rohrlach, A.B., Childebayeva, A., Villalba-Mouco, V., Aron, F., Brandt, G., Burri, M., et al. (2022). Genomic and dietary discontinuities during the Mesolithic and Neolithic in Sicily. iScience 25, 104244.
Yu, H., Xing, Y.-T., Meng, H., He, B., Li, W.-J., Qi, X.-Z., Zhao, J.-Y., Zhuang, Y., Xu, X., Yamaguchi, N., et al. (2021). Genomic evidence for the Chinese mountain cat as a wildcat conspecific (Felis silvestris bieti) and its introgression to domestic cats. Sci. Adv. 7, eabg0221.
Yu, H., Spyrou, M.A., Karapetian, M., Shnaider, S., Radzevičiūtė, R., Nägele, K., Neumann, G.U., Penske, S., Zech, J., Lucas, M., et al. (2020). Paleolithic to Bronze Age Siberians Reveal Connections with First Americans and across Eurasia. Cell 181, 1232-1245.e20.

The development of ancient DNA techniques together with genome-wide sequencing enables us to reconstruct the evolutionary history of organisms living in the past, by directly retrieving information from archaeological or paleontological remains. The research focus of our lab is the population genomics of ancient human and animals. We aim to understand the genetic history of human populations in East Asia and their interactions with populations across Eurasia. We are also interested in the evolutionary history of domesticated or commensal animals which are closely associated to human, and their implications to the development of human society.