Pooja Swali
PHD STUDENT
Pooja's PhD in the Ancient Genomics Laboratory focuses on identifying ancient pathogens in human remains through metagenomics, unravelling the evolution of these microbes through time and space.
Beyond academia, she is dedicated to bridging the science-public gap, evident in her engagements at museums, media interviews, podcasts, and event presentations for the public groups and schools. In 2023, she received the prestigious 2023 Agricultural, Biological, and Medical Sciences award from the British Science Association for her work in Science Communication.
Pooja was also honoured with the Science Achievement Award by the Crick for her PhD research using ancient DNA to understand pathogen evolution. She previously earned an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2017) and a BSc in Archaeological, Anthropological, and Forensic Sciences from Bournemouth University (2014).