Dan Bradley was brought up on a farm in the Glen, Maghera, Northern Ireland. After studying Genetics in St Catharine's College Cambridge and gaining a PhD in medical genetics in Trinity College Dublin he started to work on the genetics of each species present on that farm, including humans.
He and his group lead in the population genetic analysis of ancient cattle, sheep and goat genomes, informing on their origins, evolution and dispersal. Their ancient human genomic analyses have shown that the dramatic migratory waves of prehistoric Europe also washed onto the shores of Ireland and informed on social organisation in past societies, including inferring the presence of an elite stratum in the Irish Neolithic. A focus on high quality ancient data retrieval has produced several cornerstone genomes for understanding broader human ancestry and has allowed the prehistoric description of human genetic diseases.
He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and was awarded the 2020 Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in the Life Sciences.
Professional position
- Professor of Population Genetics, Trinity College Dublin
Subject groups
- Organismal biology, evolution and ecology
Population genetics
