Elizabeth A. Nelson

Bio

Elizabeth A. Nelson is a molecular anthropologist and bioarcheologist whose research bridges paleopathology, microbial genomics, and ancient DNA, with a focus on the socio-political, geo-cultural, and environmental drivers of pathogen evolution. Her current work examines how large-scale social forces, including sociocultural and public health responses to infectious disease and long-term structural violence, influence pathogen evolution. She actively contributes to efforts in decolonizing DNA and restorative genomic research for Indigenous communities.

Nelson’s recent funding awards include the Marie Curie Sklodowska Horizon Europe (PATHOGEN) fellowship and the Foundation Recherche Medicale program (Tuberculosis Over Time) for postdoctoral research at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. At SMU, she leads the Modern and Ancient Metagenomic Laboratories, further advancing the study of infectious disease persistence and evolution. Her ongoing projects include Colonialism and Contagion: The Evolutionary Impact on Infectious Disease Trajectories, Molecular and Social Mechanisms of Tuberculosis as a Persistent Pandemic, Evolutionary Dynamics of Animal-Human Pathogen Exchange, and the Evolutionary and Ecological Pathways of Pathogens through Time.

Research Interests

Microbial Genomics • Infectious Disease • Paleopathology • Molecular Anthropology • Bioarchaeology