Dr Adam Rohrlach
Associate Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
I research human history via ancient DNA at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, an affiliated lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide and a former associate lecturer of statistics in the School of Mathematical Sciences. My areas of interest are bioinformatics, Y chromosomal studies population genetics and genetic relatedness analyses.
-
Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2024 - ongoing Affiliate Lecturer University of Adelaide 2021 - ongoing Postdoctoroal Researcher Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology 2019 - 2021 Postdoctoral Researcher Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History 2017 - 2024 Associate Lecturer University of Adelaide -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2014 - 2018 University of Adelaide Australia PhD 2012 - 2014 University of Adelaide Austalia M.Phil 2009 - 2011 University of Adelaide Australia B Ma Sc -
Research Interests
-
Journals
Year Citation 2025 Perkins, H., Rohrlach, A., Hughes, T., Forrest, A., & Higgins, D. (2025). 3D imaging for dental identification: a pilot investigation of a novel segmentation method using an intra oral scanning device. Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology, 21(3), 1-9.
2025 Barquera, R., Sitter, T. L., Kirkpatrick, C. L., Ramirez, D. A., Kocher, A., Spyrou, M. A., . . . Bos, K. I. (2025). Ancient genomes reveal a deep history of Treponema pallidum in the Americas. Nature, 640(8057), 186-193.
Scopus4 WoS3 Europe PMC32025 Sümer, A. P., Rougier, H., Villalba-Mouco, V., Huang, Y., Iasi, L. N. M., Essel, E., . . . Krause, J. (2025). Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture. Nature, 638(8051), 711-717.
Scopus10 WoS10 Europe PMC52025 Wang, K., Tobias, B., Pany-Kucera, D., Berner, M., Eggers, S., Gnecchi-Ruscone, G. A., . . . Hofmanová, Z. (2025). Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture.. Nature, 638(8052), 1007-1014.
Scopus8 WoS9 Europe PMC52025 Rohrlach, A. B., Tuke, J., Popli, D. R., & Haak, W. (2025). BREADR: An R Package for the Bayesian Estimation of Genetic Relatedness from Low-coverage Genotype Data. Journal of Open Source Software, 10(108), 7916.
2025 Nägele, K., Kinaston, R., Gaffney, D., Walworth, M., Rohrlach, A. B., Carlhoff, S., . . . Krause, J. (2025). The impact of human dispersals and local interactions on the genetic diversity of coastal Papua New Guinea over the past 2,500 years. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 9(6), 908-923.
Scopus1 WoS12025 Davidson, R., Ravishankar, S., Souilmi, Y., Roca-Rada, X., Sobek, C., Taufik, L., . . . Pérez, V. (2025). The necessity for authentication of ancient DNA from archaeological artefacts. Journal of Archaeological Science, 181, 9 pages.
2025 Bretos Ezcurra, M., Rohrlach, A. B., Papac, L., Royo Guillén, J. I., Barquera, R., Gómez Lecumberri, F., . . . Villalba-Mouco, V. (2025). Genomic insights from a final Bronze Age community buried in a collective tumulus in an Urnfield settlement in Northeastern Iberia. Communications Biology, 8(1), 12 pages.
2024 Michel, M., Skourtanioti, E., Pierini, F., Guevara, E. K., Mötsch, A., Kocher, A., . . . Krause, J. (2024). Ancient Plasmodium genomes shed light on the history of human malaria. Nature, 631(8019), 125-133.
Scopus13 WoS14 Europe PMC122024 Barquera, R., Del Castillo-Chávez, O., Nägele, K., Pérez-Ramallo, P., Hernández-Zaragoza, D. I., Szolek, A., . . . Krause, J. (2024). Ancient genomes reveal insights into ritual life at Chichén Itzá. Nature, 630(8018), 912-919.
Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC32024 Childebayeva, A., Fricke, F., Rohrlach, A. B., Huang, L., Schiffels, S., Vesakoski, O., . . . Haak, W. (2024). Bronze age Northern Eurasian genetics in the context of development of metallurgy and Siberian ancestry. Communications Biology, 7(1), 12 pages.
Scopus4 WoS3 Europe PMC22024 Gretzinger, J., Gibbon, V. E., Penske, S. E., Sealy, J. C., Rohrlach, A. B., Salazar-García, D. C., . . . Schiffels, S. (2024). 9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 8(11), 2121-2134.
Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC22024 Ghalichi, A., Reinhold, S., Rohrlach, A. B., Kalmykov, A. A., Childebayeva, A., Yu, H., . . . Haak, W. (2024). The rise and transformation of Bronze Age pastoralists in the Caucasus. Nature, 635(8040), 917-925.
Scopus3 WoS2 Europe PMC32024 Velsko, I. M., Fagernäs, Z., Tromp, M., Bedford, S., Buckley, H. R., Clark, G., . . . Warinner, C. (2024). Exploring the potential of dental calculus to shed light on past human migrations in Oceania. Nature Communications, 15(1), 10191-1-10191-17.
Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC22024 Rivollat, M., Rohrlach, A. B., Ringbauer, H., Childebayeva, A., Mendisco, F., Barquera, R., . . . Haak, W. (2024). Inferences on regional networks from local genetic trees, the example of the Neolithic site of Gurgy 'les Noisats'. Bulletins Et Memoires De La Societe D Anthropologie De Paris, 36. 2024 Rohrlach, A. B., Rivollat, M., de-Miguel-Ibáñez, P., Moilanen, U., Liira, A. -M., Teixeira, J. C., . . . Prüfer, K. (2024). Cases of trisomy 21 and trisomy 18 among historic and prehistoric individuals discovered from ancient DNA. Nature Communications, 15(1), 1294-1-1294-8.
Scopus8 WoS9 Europe PMC82024 Orfanou, E., Zach, B., Rohrlach, A. B., Schneider, F. N., Paust, E., Lucas, M., . . . Roberts, P. (2024). Biomolecular evidence for changing millet reliance in Late Bronze Age central Germany. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 13 pages.
Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC22024 Penske, S., Küßner, M., Rohrlach, A. B., Knipper, C., Nováček, J., Childebayeva, A., . . . Haak, W. (2024). Kinship practices at the early bronze age site of Leubingen in Central Germany. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 15 pages.
Scopus2 WoS3 Europe PMC22023 Villalba-Mouco, V., van de Loosdrecht, M. S., Rohrlach, A. B., Fewlass, H., Talamo, S., Yu, H., . . . Haak, W. (2023). A 23,000-year-old southern Iberian individual links human groups that lived in Western Europe before and after the Last Glacial Maximum.. Nature ecology & evolution, 7(4), 597-609.
Scopus24 WoS26 Europe PMC162023 Posth, C., Yu, H., Ghalichi, A., Rougier, H., Crevecoeur, I., Huang, Y., . . . Krause, J. (2023). Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers.. Nature, 615(7950), 117-126.
Scopus109 WoS100 Europe PMC772023 Posth, C., Yu, H., Ghalichi, A., Rougier, H., Crevecoeur, I., Huang, Y., . . . Krause, J. (2023). Author Correction: Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers.. Nature, 616(7956), E5.
Scopus1 WoS2 Europe PMC12023 Rohrlach, A., Tuke, J., Popli, D., & Haak, W. (2023). BREADR: An R Package for the Bayesian Estimation of Genetic Relatedness from Low-coverage Genotype Data.
Europe PMC22023 Penske, S., Rohrlach, A. B., Childebayeva, A., Gnecchi-Ruscone, G., Schmid, C., Spyrou, M. A., . . . Haak, W. (2023). Early contact between late farming and pastoralist societies in southeastern Europe. Nature, 620(7973), 358-365.
Scopus25 WoS24 Europe PMC212023 Rivollat, M., Rohrlach, A. B., Ringbauer, H., Childebayeva, A., Mendisco, F., Barquera, R., . . . Haak, W. (2023). Extensive pedigrees reveal the social organization of a Neolithic community.. Nature, 620(7974), 600-606.
Scopus47 WoS45 Europe PMC382023 Childebayeva, A., Fricke, F., Rohrlach, A. B., Huang, L., Schiffels, S., Vesakoski, O., . . . Haak, W. (2023). Bronze Age Northern Eurasian Genetics in the Context of Development of Metallurgy and Siberian Ancestry.
2023 Carlhoff, S., Kutanan, W., Rohrlach, A. B., Posth, C., Stoneking, M., Nägele, K., . . . Krause, J. (2023). Genomic portrait and relatedness patterns of the Iron Age Log Coffin culture in northwestern Thailand. Nature Communications, 14(1), 9 pages.
Scopus5 WoS4 Europe PMC62023 Rivollat, M., Rohrlach, A. B., & Ringbauer, H. (2023). Neolithic Community Revealed Using Ancient DNA Data. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART A, 191(12), 2797-2798.
2022 Gnecchi-Ruscone, G. A., Szécsényi-Nagy, A., Koncz, I., Csiky, G., Rácz, Z., Rohrlach, A. B., . . . Krause, J. (2022). Ancient genomes reveal origin and rapid trans-Eurasian migration of 7<sup>th</sup> century Avar elites.. Cell, 185(8), 1402-1413.
Scopus52 WoS43 Europe PMC372022 Rivollat, M., Thomas, A., Ghesquière, E., Rohrlach, A. B., Späth, E., Pemonge, M. -H., . . . Deguilloux, M. -F. (2022). Ancient DNA gives new insights into a Norman Neolithic monumental cemetery dedicated to male elites.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(18), 9 pages.
Scopus20 WoS18 Europe PMC172022 Yu, H., van de Loosdrecht, M. S., Mannino, M. A., Talamo, S., Rohrlach, A. B., Childebayeva, A., . . . Krause, J. (2022). Genomic and dietary discontinuities during the Mesolithic and Neolithic in Sicily.. iScience, 25(5), 28 pages.
Scopus22 WoS21 Europe PMC202022 Childebayeva, A., Rohrlach, A. B., Barquera, R., Rivollat, M., Aron, F., Szolek, A., . . . Haak, W. (2022). Population Genetics and Signatures of Selection in Early Neolithic European Farmers.. Molecular biology and evolution, 39(6), 17 pages.
Scopus27 WoS26 Europe PMC312022 Roca-Rada, X., Tereso, S., Rohrlach, A. B., Brito, A., Williams, M. P., Umbelino, C., . . . Teixeira, J. C. (2022). A 1000-year-old case of Klinefelter's syndrome diagnosed by integrating morphology, osteology, and genetics.. Lancet (London, England), 400(10353), 691-692.
Scopus11 WoS10 Europe PMC52022 Souilmi, Y., Tobler, R., Johar, A., Williams, M., Grey, S. T., Schmidt, J., . . . Huber, C. D. (2022). Admixture has obscured signals of historical hard sweeps in humans. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(12), 2003-2015.
Scopus17 WoS17 Europe PMC252022 Villalba-Mouco, V., Oliart, C., Rihuete-Herrada, C., Rohrlach, A. B., Fregeiro, M. I., Childebayeva, A., . . . Haak, W. (2022). Kinship practices in the early state El Argar society from Bronze Age Iberia.. Scientific reports, 12(1), 15 pages.
Scopus28 WoS27 Europe PMC122021 Rohrlach, A. B., Papac, L., Childebayeva, A., Rivollat, M., Villalba-Mouco, V., Neumann, G. U., . . . Haak, W. (2021). Using Y-chromosome capture enrichment to resolve haplogroup H2 shows new evidence for a two-Path Neolithic expansion to Western Europe. Scientific Reports, 11, 1-11.
2021 Borry, M., Hübner, A., Rohrlach, A. B., & Warinner, C. (2021). PyDamage: automated ancient damage identification and estimation for contigs in ancient DNA de novo assembly. PeerJ, 9, 22 pages.
2021 Purnomo, G. A., Mitchell, K. J., O'Connor, S., Kealy, S., Taufik, L., Schiller, S., . . . Tobler, R. (2021). Mitogenomes reveal two major influxes of Papuan ancestry across Wallacea following the last glacial maximum and Austronesian contact. Genes, 12(7), 1-21.
Scopus22 WoS22 Europe PMC132021 Rohrlach, A. B., Papac, L., Childebayeva, A., Rivollat, M., Villalba-Mouco, V., Neumann, G. U., . . . Haak, W. (2021). Using Y-chromosome capture enrichment to resolve haplogroup H2 shows new evidence for a two-path Neolithic expansion to Western Europe. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 15005-1-15005-11.
Scopus32 WoS31 Europe PMC292021 Borry, M., Hübner, A., Rohrlach, A. B., & Warinner, C. (2021). PyDamage: Automated ancient damage identification and estimation for contigs in ancient DNA de novo assembly. PeerJ, 9, 22 pages.
Scopus27 WoS25 Europe PMC232021 Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N. J., Rohrlach, A. B., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2021). A Woman with a Sword?-Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60.
Scopus19 WoS162021 Papac, L., Ernée, M., Dobeš, M., Langová, M., Rohrlach, A. B., Aron, F., . . . Haak, W. (2021). Dynamic changes in genomic and social structures in third millennium BCE central Europe.. Sci Adv, 7(35), 1-17.
Scopus75 WoS61 Europe PMC542021 Kocher, A., Papac, L., Barquera, R., Key, F. M., Spyrou, M. A., Hübler, R., . . . Kühnert, D. (2021). Ten millennia of hepatitis B virus evolution. Science, 374(6564), 182-188.
Scopus71 WoS66 Europe PMC582021 Villalba-Mouco, V., Oliart, C., Rihuete-Herrada, C., Childebayeva, A., Rohrlach, A. B., Fregeiro, M. I., . . . Haak, W. (2021). Genomic transformation and social organization during the Copper Age-Bronze Age transition in southern Iberia.. Sci Adv, 7(47), eabi7038.
Scopus43 WoS41 Europe PMC282020 Furtwängler, A., Rohrlach, A. B., Lamnidis, T. C., Papac, L., Neumann, G. U., Siebke, I., . . . Krause, J. (2020). Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland.. Nature communications, 11(1), 1915.
Scopus59 WoS61 Europe PMC442020 Skourtanioti, E., Erdal, Y. S., Frangipane, M., Balossi Restelli, F., Yener, K. A., Pinnock, F., . . . Krause, J. (2020). Genomic History of Neolithic to Bronze Age Anatolia, Northern Levant, and Southern Caucasus.. Cell, 181(5), 1158-1175.
Scopus99 WoS96 Europe PMC832020 Rivollat, M., Jeong, C., Schiffels, S., Küçükkalıpçı, İ., Pemonge, M. -H., Rohrlach, A. B., . . . Haak, W. (2020). Ancient genome-wide DNA from France highlights the complexity of interactions between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers. Science Advances, 6(22), eaaz5344-1-eaaz5344-16.
Scopus114 WoS102 Europe PMC762020 Souilmi, Y., Tobler, R., Johar, A., Williams, M., Grey, S., Schmidt, J., . . . Cooper, A. (2020). Ancient human genomes reveal a hidden history of strong selection in Eurasia.
2020 Rivollat, M., Jeong, C., Schiffels, S., Küçükkalıpçı, İ., Pemonge, M. -H., Rohrlach, A. B., . . . Haak, W. (2020). Ancient genome-wide DNA from France highlights the complexity of interactions between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers.. Sci Adv, 6(22).
2020 Furtwängler, A., Rohrlach, A., Lamnidis, T. C., Papac, L., Neumann, G. U., Siebke, I., . . . Krause, J. (2020). Author Correction: Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland.. Nat Commun, 11(1), 4759.
Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC12020 Parker, C., Rohrlach, A., Friederich, S., Nagel, S., Meyer, M., Krause, J., . . . Haak, W. (2020). A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons.. Sci Rep, 10(1), 18225.
Scopus62 WoS53 Europe PMC362018 Rohrlach, A. B., Bean, N., Glonek, G., Holland, B., Tobler, R., Tuke, J., & Cooper, A. (2018). Unsupervized Quantification of Demographic Structure for Single-copy Alignments.
2017 Tobler, R., Rohrlach, A., Soubrier, J., Bover Arbos, P., Llamas, B., Tuke, J., . . . Cooper, A. (2017). Aboriginal mitogenomes reveal 50,000 years of regionalism in Australia. Nature, 544(7649), 180-184.
Scopus164 WoS150 Europe PMC642016 Llamas, B., Fehren-Schmitz, L., Valverde, G., Soubrier, J., Mallick, S., Rohland, N., . . . Haak, W. (2016). Ancient mitochondrial DNA provides high-resolution time scale of the peopling of the Americas. Science Advances, 2(4), e1501385-1-e1501385-10.
Scopus256 WoS236 Europe PMC1362016 Soubrier, J., Gower, G., Chen, K., Richards, S., Llamas, B., Mitchell, K., . . . Cooper, A. (2016). Early cave art and ancient DNA record the origin of European bison. Nature Communications, 7(1), 13158-1-13158-7.
Scopus86 WoS85 Europe PMC402015 Higgins, D., Rohrlach, A., Kaidonis, J., Townsend, G., & Austin, J. (2015). Differential nuclear and mitochondrial DNA preservation in post-mortem teeth with implications for forensic and ancient DNA studies. PLoS One, 10(5), e0126935-1-e0126935-17.
Scopus68 WoS58 Europe PMC36 -
Conference Papers
Year Citation 2024 Bove, L. C., Villalbamouco, V., Kirkpatrick, C. L., Rohrlach, A. B., Lamnidis, T., Guirado, A. V. -E., . . . Bos, K. (2024). An archaeogenetic and paleopathological evaluation of an early medieval Iberian community at La Olmeda (Spain, 6th-11th c. CE). In AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Vol. 183 (pp. 34). WILEY. -
Preprint
Year Citation 2025 Rohrlach, A., Gnecchi-Ruscone, G. A., Hofmanová, Z., Roughan, M., Haak, W., & Tuke, J. (2025). Detecting and Quantifying Networks of Biological Kinship via Exponential Family Random Graph Models.
DOI
-
Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2025 Co-Supervisor A Study of Ancient Pandemics in Human History Based on Virus Interacting Protein Genes Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Ms Huize Gao -
Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2018 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Exploring the Matrilineal Genomic History of Aboriginal Australians through Mitochondrial DNA Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Sophie Anne Schiller
Connect With Me
External Profiles
