Brenna Henn is a population geneticist in the Department of Anthropology and in the Genome Center at the University of California, Davis. She began her research by studying the deep population structure and complex migration patterns of African hunter-gatherer groups. Motivated by her PhD training in anthropology, she aims to approach questions of genomic and phenotypic diversity from an interdisciplinary standpoint. She continues to primarily focus on African populations. Her field sites include efforts to collect DNA samples, demographic data and biomedical phenotypes in the Kalahari Desert, Cederberg Mountains and the Richtersveld of South Africa, as well as collaborations in Namibia and Ethiopia.
The Henn Lab uses population genetic and quantitative genetic theory to model processes in human evolution, paired with extensive genomic and phenotypic data from Sub-Saharan African populations. The lab is committed to understanding genetic diversity in under-represented populations and testing the hypothesis that the determinants of phenotypic traits in these populations may be influenced by alleles that are population-specific or generally rare. The lab is broadly geared toward refining models of human migration and understanding the adaptive significance of healthy phenotypes such as life history traits, pigmentation, height, and resistance to tuberculosis. The lab is also particularly focused on reconstructing the complex demographic history of African populations.
ANT 153, ANT 157, ANT 1, ANT 253
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology Evolutionary Wing
Associate Professor
