John Novembre, Ph.D., a computational geneticist at the University of Chicago, who studies the evolutionary history and genetic diversity of human populations, has been named a 2015 MacArthur Fellow. Awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to individuals for their exceptional creativity, significant accomplishments, and potential for important future achievements, MacArthur Fellowships are among the most prestigious honors in academia and the creative arts. The fellowship comes with an unrestricted stipend of $625,000 over the next five years that provides recipients the freedom to pursue creative endeavors. Dr. Novembre, Associate Professor in Human Genetics, is one of 24 new MacArthur Fellows drawn from diverse fields ranging from stem cell biology to puppetry. He is the 34th current or former University of Chicago faculty member to receive the award. “It is a profound honor to be named a MacArthur Fellow, and I look forward to living up to the foundation’s call to fulfill our creative potential,” Dr. Novembre said. “I’m still processing it all, but I hope to use the fellowship to fuel my creativity and explore exciting new projects, such as collecting and analyzing ancient DNA data.” Dr. Novembre’s research focuses on the development of powerful mathematical and statistical algorithms that shed light on the evolutionary history of populations, particularly on the processes that shaped human genetic diversity and disease.Login Or Register To Read Full Story