Harilanto Razafindrazaka

Harilanto Razafindrazaka

CNRS Researcher

Biography

I am an anthropologist specialized on genetics and I’m specifically interested on human populations diversity and evolution on a multi/interdisciplinary comparative process. My PhD thesis was focused on human settlement of Madagascar through the study of the last hunter foragers Mikea and the fishermen descents the Vezo. Thereafter, I had the privilege of experiencing the technological breakthrough of the human genome sequencing (NGS – Next-Generation Sequencing) which goes with the evolution of the scientific issues these last years. This current genomic revolution provides an unprecedented quantity and qualities of data, which offer now opportunities to focus on inter-individual/population phenotype diversity, not only morphological, but also physiological which was almost not been possible until now. Then, I had the chance during my post-doctoral research inside the Laboratoire AMIS - UMR 5288 – Université Toulouse III/CNRS – to develop issues on the olfactory perception variability linked – among others – to the spectacular diversity of olfactory receptor genes. I am currently working on Indian Ocean populations, particularly in Madagascar, where the admixture, mainly African/Indonesian, offer the rare opportunity to study the impact of the admixture process on these genetic and phenotypic variations. My background will certainly guide my current and futures research by further enriching of interdisciplinary collaborations.