Zoé Pochon

Welcome to my page!

I am a PhD student in ancient metagenomics, particularly interested in ancient pathogens. I'm from the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies and work at the Centre for Palaeogenetics. Trained in biology and history, I am mostly driven by a curiosity about human history and how we can use ancient DNA to bring new clues to its study.

The main goal of my PhD is to detect the presence of pathogens in ancient human remains and authenticate them as truly present and truly ancient. The first chapter of my thesis focuses on a pipeline we developed with NBIS bioinformaticians called aMeta. The second chapter provides a general overview of infectious diseases that circulated in the Medieval community of Las Gobas in northern Spain. The three remaining chapters will explore the infectious diseases circulating in two sites in present-day Sweden from the Iron Age and the Viking Age, as well as those found onboard warships from the early modern period.

As for my background, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in History (Antiquity and Modern Times) and a Master of Science in Evolutionary and Population Genetics with a minor in History (specialisation in Antiquity). Both my Bachelor’s and Master’s theses were conducted in the Wegmann Lab at the University of Fribourg, focusing on ancient DNA from the Bronze Age Battlefield (now recognised as a massacre) of the Tollense Valley in northeastern Germany. In particular, we estimated a strong selection coefficient for the lactase persistence allele from the Bronze Age onwards.

I am passionate about the field of archaeogenetics because I believe it provides new insights into historical and archaeological questions. I moved to Sweden from Switzerland to pursue the opportunity to work in this field.

I am also an active member of the SPAAM community (Standards, Precautions, and Advances in Ancient Metagenomics) and had the opportunity to co-organise SPAAM5 in Tartu in 2023.