Himla Soodyall

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Himla Soodyall
Born1963 (age 60–61)
Durban, South Africa
EducationUniversity of Durban-Westville
Alma materUniversity of the Witwatersrand
AwardsOrder of Mapungubwe (Bronze) 2005
Scientific career
FieldsHuman genetics
InstitutionsWITS Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Laboratory
Thesis (1993)
Doctoral advisorTrefor Jenkins
WebsiteHimla Soodyall at WITS

Himla (Himladevi) Soodyall (b Durban, 1963[1]) is a South African geneticist involved in finding some of the oldest human genetic lines, mainly focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa.[2] Her work on DNA has pointed to southern Africa as the most likely geographic region of origin of the human species.[1][3]

She is Director of the Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Laboratory, National Health Laboratory Service at the University of the Witwatersrand.[4] She was awarded a Bronze Order of Mapungubwe in 2005 for her "Outstanding contributions in the field of science" in South Africa.

Education

Soodyall was born in Durban and educated at Gandhi-Desai High School before obtaining a

PhD, on human population and evolutionary genetics, was obtained in 1993 under the supervision of Trefor Jenkins.[1][2]

Career

Soodyall spent 4 years on a Fogarty International Fellowship[5] (from the National Institutes of Health in the United States) at Pennsylvania State University doing postdoctoral research with Mark Stoneking. In 1996 she returned to South Africa to set up her own laboratory at the South African Institute for Medical Research (now the National Health Laboratory Service). Here she conducted population and evolutionary genetics research.[1]

In 2001 she was appointed director of the Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Unit at WITS. She was also invited to participate in the Genographic Project as the principal investigator for sub-Saharan Africa.[1][2]

Recognition, awards, memberships

Selected publications

Soodyall is the author of "A Walk in the Garden of Eden". She is also the author or co-author of more than 90 academic publications, including:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Himladevi Soodyall (1963 - )". The Presidency, Republic of South Africa. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "South African Tourism - Professor Himla Soodyall". SATOUR. 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Women Marching Into the 21st Century: Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokodo. Human Sciences Research Council. 2000. p. 205.
    ISBN 978-0-7969-1966-3
    . Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  4. ^ "H3Africa - Himla Soodyall". H3Africa.org. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Human Origins". Grantome. 30 August 1994. Retrieved 4 September 2019.

External links

Publications by Himla Soodyall at ResearchGate

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