Personal profile
Short presentation
I am an Associate Professor at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen. My interests is to understand human evolution, in particular the last 1 million years, via the development and application of ancient biomolecular methods, in particular through the study of ancient proteins preserved in archaeological and palaeontological materials. My research utilizes mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics to extract and analyse ancient protein sequences from ancient human and fauna samples spanning several continents and the entire Pleistocene. I have a particular interest in studying the evolutionary relationships between extinct hominins via ancient protein analysis and exploring their behaviour through studying associated faunal remains and zooarchaeological datasets.
My current research focuses on the recovery and MS-based analysis of fauna and hominin proteins recovered from skeletal tissues. This research is currently supported by an ERC Starting Grant (PROSPER) and a DFF Sapere Aude grant (MiddleEarth), as well as a number of associated MSCA-PFs and research collaborations. In addition, I am involved in the implementation of proteomic screening of fragmentary bone assemblages to elucidate past hominin distributions and hominin-fauna interactions across Eurasia, method development to increase proteome size recovered from archaeological remains, and method development to enhance the use of such proteomes to address phylogenetic and physiological research questions.
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Composition variations in archaeological human bone proteomes
Ásmundsdóttir, R. D., Troché, G., Olsen, J. V., Schrader, S. & Welker, F., 2026, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 190, 12 p., 106560.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Contextualising the La Ferrassie 1 Homo neanderthalensis skeleton through palaeoproteomic analysis and radiocarbon dating
Balzeau, A., Mylopotamitaki, D., Welker, F., Tassoni, L., Gómez-Olivencia, A., Derrey, T. & Talamo, S., 2026, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 188, 10 p., 106515.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile8 Downloads (Pure) -
Eating habits of Denisovans on the Tibetan Plateau revealed
Welker, F. & Xia, H., 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Nature. 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › Research › peer-review
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Identification and removal of contamination in palaeoproteomic analysis of dental enamel
Fagernäs, Z., Sieling, S., Troché, G., Bakker, J. K., Olsen, J. V. & Welker, F., 2026, In: Scientific Reports. 16, 10 p., 1853.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Downloads (Pure) -
A male Denisovan mandible from Pleistocene Taiwan
Tsutaya, T., Sawafuji, R., Taurozzi, A. J., Fagernäs, Z., Patramanis, I., Troché, G., Mackie, M., Gakuhari, T., Oota, H., Tsai, C.-H., Olsen, J. V., Kaifu, Y., Chang, C.-H., Cappellini, E. & Welker, F., 2025, In: Science. 388, 6743, p. 176-180 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
35 Citations (Scopus) -
Ancient biomolecular analysis of 39 mammoth individuals from Kostenki 11-Ia elucidates Upper Palaeolithic human resource use
Rey-Iglesia, A., Pryor, A. J. E., de Jager, D., Wilson, T., Teeter, M. A., Margaryan, A., Khaskhanov, R., Le Meillour, L., Troché, G., Welker, F., Szpak, P., Dudin, A. E. & Lorenzen, E. D., 2025, In: Quaternary Environments and Humans. 3, 1, 15 p., 100049.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)22 Downloads (Pure) -
Cleaning the dead: Optimized decontamination enhances palaeoproteomic analyses of a Pleistocene hominin tooth from Khudji, Tajikistan
Fagernäs, Z., Villa-Islas, V., Troché, G., Buylaert, J.-P., Khujageldiev, T., Kurbanov, R., Olsen, J. V., Pedersen, M. W. & Welker, F., 2025, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 179, 10 p., 106228.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Citations (Scopus)12 Downloads (Pure) -
Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture
Sümer, A. P., Rougier, H., Villalba-Mouco, V., Huang, Y., Iasi, L. N. M., Essel, E., Mesa, A. B., Furtwaengler, A., Peyrégne, S., de Filippo, C., Rohrlach, A. B., Pierini, F., Mafessoni, F., Fewlass, H., Zavala, E. I., Mylopotamitaki, D., Bianco, R. A., Schmidt, A., Zorn, J. & Nickel, B. & 25 others, , 20 Feb 2025, In: Nature. 638, 8051, p. 711-717 246.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile35 Citations (Scopus)99 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Leakey Foundation Research Grant
Welker, F. (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prizes, scholarships, distinctions
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Tübingen Ice Age Research Prize
Welker, F. (Recipient), 2018
Prize: Prizes, scholarships, distinctions
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Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Individual Fellowship
Welker, F. (Recipient), 2018
Prize: Prizes, scholarships, distinctions
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Leakey Foundation Research Grant
Welker, F. (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Prizes, scholarships, distinctions
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