people
members of the lab

room L244 at Dept. of Biology and Ecology
Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava
Chittussiho 10, Ostrava, 71000
Dr. Pavel Flegontov is the Head of the Laboratory at the University of Ostrava and an Associate in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Recruited to the University of Ostrava in 2013 for his expertise in microbial genomics, he quickly established a second, parallel research direction focused on human population history.
Dr. Flegontov’s research philosophy is defined by the integration of large-scale genomic data analysis with deep methodological scrutiny and robust interdisciplinary collaboration with archaeologists and linguists. His leadership on the groundbreaking Nature paper revising the history of the peopling of the Americas and his ongoing work to build a comprehensive genetic history of Asia exemplify the lab’s ambitious scientific vision.

room L244 at Dept. of Biology and Ecology
Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava
Chittussiho 10, Ostrava, 71000
Dr. Piya Changmai (Mgr., Ph.D.) is a core researcher in the lab and our leading expert on the archaeogenetics of Southeast Asia. He has led several key publications on the genetic history of Kra-Dai speakers, ancient Cambodian populations, and the legacy of Indian ancestry in the region.
Dr. Changmai is also the principal investigator on multiple grants from the Czech Ministry of Education and other bodies, directing the lab’s research program focused on unwinding the complex admixture history of Eurasia.