Institute of Forensic Medicine

Anthropology

CV

  • Since 1/2022 Scientific Staff, Department Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern.
  • Since 12/2020 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu.
  • 4/2019 – 11/2020 Temporary Research Assistant, Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu.
  • 7/2020 Dr. rer. nat., Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany. Title of the thesis: “Yersinia pestis genomes of the first and second plague pandemic recovered from ancient DNA.” First supervisor: Prof. Dr. Johannes Krause
  • 12/2014 – 3/2019 Doctoral student, Department Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena.
  • 10/2011 – 9/2013 Master of Science Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Master thesis at the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeoanatomy and Anthropology Munich.
  • 10/2008 – 9/2011 Bachelor of Science in Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany. Bachelor thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry, Munich.

 

Conference Organization

 

Google Scholar

Research focus

Research Interests

  • Biomolecular anthropology with focus on ancient DNA of humans and their pathogens
  • Evolutionary history of Yersinia pestis, especially Justinianic Plague/First Pandemic (6th-8th c.) and Black Death/Second Pandemic (14th-18th c.)
  • Interdisciplinary plague studies
  • Population genetics and kinship analysis (Tunnug, Southern Siberia)

Research Projects

 

 

Publications and talks

Jump to: Journal Article | Book Section | Conference or Workshop Item | Working Paper

Journal Article

Suchan, Tomasz; Kusliy, Mariya A.; Khan, Naveed; Chauvey, Loreleï; Tonasso‐Calvière, Laure; Schiavinato, Stéphanie; Southon, John; Keller, Marcel; Kitagawa, Keiko; Krause, Johannes; Bessudnov, Alexander N.; Bessudnov, Alexander A.; Graphodatsky, Alexander S.; Valenzuela‐Lamas, Silvia; Wilczyński, Jarosław; Pospuła, Sylwia; Tunia, Krzysztof; Nowak, Marek; Moskal‐delHoyo, Magdalena; Tishkin, Alexey A.; ... (2022). Performance and automation of ancient DNA capture with RNA hyRAD probes. Molecular ecology resources, 22(3), pp. 891-907. Wiley 10.1111/1755-0998.13518

Guellil, Meriam; Keller, Marcel; Dittmar, Jenna; Inskip, Sarah; Cressford, Craig; Solnik, Anu; Kivisild, Toomas; Metspalu, Mait; Robb, John; Scheib, Christiana (2022). An Invasive Haemophilus Influenzae Serotype B Infection in an Anglo-Saxon Plague Victim. Genome biology, 23(1), p. 22. BioMed Central Ltd. 10.1186/s13059-021-02580-z

Guellil, Meriam; Keller, Marcel (2022). Rekonstruktion mikrobieller Evolution durch Sequenzierung alter DNA. Biospektrum, 28(3), pp. 287-290. Springer 10.1007/s12268-022-1766-x

Reitmaier, Thomas; Cooper, Christine; Keller, Marcel; von Planta, Conradin; Seifert, Mathias (2021). Söldner, Seuchen und Skelette. Eine interdisziplinäre Spurensuche zur Pest in Domat/Ems GR. as. Archäologie Schweiz / Archéologie Suisse / Archeologia Svizzera, 44(4), pp. 34-37. Archäologie Schweiz

Ingman, Tara; Eisenmann, Stefanie; Skourtanioti, Eirini; Akar, Murat; Ilgner, Jana; Gnecchi Ruscone, Guido Alberto; le Roux, Petrus; Shafiq, Rula; Neumann, Gunnar U.; Keller, Marcel; Freund, Cäcilia; Marzo, Sara; Lucas, Mary; Krause, Johannes; Roberts, Patrick; Yener, K. Aslıhan; Stockhammer, Philipp W. (2021). Human mobility at Tell Atchana (Alalakh), Hatay, Turkey during the 2nd millennium BC: Integration of isotopic and genomic evidence. PLOS ONE, 16(6), e0241883. 10.1371/journal.pone.0241883

Librado, Pablo; Khan, Naveed; Fages, Antoine; Kusliy, Mariya A.; Suchan, Tomasz; Tonasso-Calvière, Laure; Schiavinato, Stéphanie; Alioglu, Duha; Fromentier, Aurore; Perdereau, Aude; Aury, Jean-Marc; Gaunitz, Charleen; Chauvey, Lorelei; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Der Sarkissian, Clio; Southon, John; Shapiro, Beth; Tishkin, Alexey A.; Kovalev, Alexey A.; Alquraishi, Saleh; ... (2021). The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes. Nature, 598(7882), pp. 634-640. Springer Nature 10.1038/s41586-021-04018-9

Pfrengle, Saskia; Neukamm, Judith; Guellil, Meriam; Keller, Marcel; Molak, Martyna; Avanzi, Charlotte; Kushniarevich, Alena; Montes, Núria; Neumann, Gunnar U.; Reiter, Ella; Tukhbatova, Rezeda I.; Berezina, Nataliya Y.; Buzhilova, Alexandra P.; Korobov, Dmitry S.; Suppersberger Hamre, Stian; Matos, Vitor M. J.; Ferreira, Maria T.; González-Garrido, Laura; Wasterlain, Sofia N.; Lopes, Célia; ... (2021). Mycobacterium leprae diversity and population dynamics in medieval Europe from novel ancient genomes. BMC biology, 19(1), p. 220. BioMed Central 10.1186/s12915-021-01120-2

Cessford, Craig; Scheib, Christiana L.; Guellil, Meriam; Keller, Marcel; Alexander, Craig; Inskip, Sarah A.; Robb, John E. (2021). Beyond Plague Pits: Using Genetics to Identify Responses to Plague in Medieval Cambridgeshire. European journal of archaeology, 24(4), pp. 496-518. Cambridge University Press 10.1017/eaa.2021.19

Keller, Marcel; Paulus, Christof; Xoplaki, Elena (2021). Die Justinianische Pest. Grenzen und Chancen naturwissenschaftlicher Ansätze für ein integratives Geschichtsverständnis. Evangelische Theologie, 81(5), pp. 385-400. Gütersloher Verlagshaus 10.14315/evth-2021-810509

Keller, Marcel; Hensch, Mathias (2020). Pestgenome und “Gefährliche Tote”. Bayerische Archäologie, 2020(3), pp. 42-46. Friedrich Pustet

Harbeck, Michaela; Keller, Marcel (2020). Die Justinianische Pest in Bayern. Bayerische Archäologie, 2020(3), pp. 30-33. Friedrich Pustet

Andrades Valtueña, Aida; Massy, Ken; Keller, Marcel (2020). Die Steinzeitpest im Lechtal. Bayerische Archäologie, 2020(3), pp. 16-19. Friedrich Pustet

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Scheib, Christiana L.; Neumann, Gunnar U.; Kröpelin, Andreas; Haas-Gebhard, Brigitte; Päffgen, Bernd; Haberstroh, Jochen; Ribera i Lacomba, Albert; Raynaud, Claude; Cessford, Craig; Durand, Raphaël; Stadler, Peter; Nägele, Kathrin; Bates, Jessica S.; Trautmann, Bernd; Inskip, Sarah A.; Peters, Joris; Robb, John E.; Kivisild, Toomas; ... (2019). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from across Western Europe reveal early diversification during the First Pandemic (541–750). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS, 116(25), pp. 12363-12372. National Academy of Sciences NAS 10.1073/pnas.1820447116

Spyrou, Maria A.; Keller, Marcel (2019). Behind the Paper: Tracing the history of the second plague pandemic through ancient DNA. Nature Microbiology Community

Gutsmiedl-Schümann, Doris; Päffgen, Bernd; Schwarzberg, Heiner; Keller, Marcel; Rott, Andreas; Harbeck, Michaela (2017). Digging up the plague: A diachronic comparison of aDNA confirmed plague burials and associated burial customs in Germany. Praehistorische Zeitschrift, 92(2), pp. 405-427. de Gruyter 10.1515/pz-2017-0018

Keller, Marcel; Krause, Johannes (2017). Paleomicrobiology of Humans. Michel Drancourt und Didier Raoult (Hrsg.). Biospektrum, 2017(7), p. 847. Springer

Keller, Marcel; Krause, Johannes (2017). Den Seuchen auf der Spur: Genetische Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der Krankheitserreger. Yearbook of the Max Planck Society Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Keller, Marcel (2017). Den Seuchen auf der Spur. Archäologie in Deutschland, 2017(2), pp. 28-29. Theiss

Gutsmiedl-Schümann, Doris; Kacki, Sacha; Keller, Marcel; Lee, Christina (2017). Plague in diachronic and interdisciplinary perspective. Report on Session TH5-05 at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the EAA in Vilnius, Lithuania. The European archaeologist, 51, pp. 16-18. European Association of Archaeologists

Feldman, Michal; Harbeck, Michaela; Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Rott, Andreas; Trautmann, Bernd; Scholz, Holger C.; Päffgen, Bernd; Peters, Joris; McCormick, Michael; Bos, Kirsten; Herbig, Alexander; Krause, Johannes (2016). A High-Coverage Yersinia pestis Genome from a Sixth-Century Justinianic Plague Victim. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 33(11), pp. 2911-2923. Oxford University Press 10.1093/molbev/msw170

Keller, Marcel; Regner-Kamlah, Birgit; Rott, Andreas; Hoke, Nadja; Wahl, Joachim (2016). Gräber und Menschenknochen im Michelsberger Erdwerk von Bruchsal ‚Aue‘: Archäologie – Anthropologie – Paläogenetik – Archäometrie. Fundberichte aus Baden-Württemberg, pp. 7-42. 10.11588/fbbw.2016.0.57226

Keller, Marcel; Rott, Andreas; Hoke, Nadja; Schwarzberg, Heiner; Regner-Kamlah, Birgit; Harbeck, Michaela; Wahl, Joachim (2015). United in death-related by blood? Genetic and archeometric analyses of skeletal remains from the neolithic earthwork bruchsal-aue. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 157(3), pp. 458-471. Wiley 10.1002/ajpa.22738

Book Section

Keller, Marcel; Guellil, Meriam; Scheib, Christiana L. (2020). Der Pestfriedhof des 17. Jahrhunderts. Pestnachweise durch “alte DNA”. In: Burkhardt, Lorena (ed.) Domat/Ems, Sogn Pieder. Vom frühmittelalterlichen Herrenhof zum neuzeitlichen Pestfriedhof. Archäologie Graubünden: Vol. 9 (pp. 254-259). Archäologischer Dienst Graubünden

Keller, Marcel (2019). Von der Seuchengeschichte der Pest zu einer Naturgeschichte ihres Erregers – Neue Einblicke durch alte DNA. In: Pest! Eine Spurensuche (pp. 30-47). Darmstadt: wbg Theiss

Conference or Workshop Item

Keller, Marcel (3 November 2023). Same same but different? Interdisziplinarität in der Seuchengeschichte (Unpublished). In: Archäogenetik – Archäologie – Geschichtswissenschaft: Perspektiven interdisziplinärer Forschung.. Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Heidelberg.

Keller, Marcel (21 April 2023). Of Hammers, Nails and Razors: Paleogenetic Approaches to the First Plague Pandemic (Unpublished). In: Epidemic Millenium: Interdisciplinary Studies of Disease before 1000. Georgetown University, Washington D.C.. 2023.

Keller, Marcel; Guellil, Meriam; Philip, Slavin; Saag, Lehti; Irdt, Kadri; Niinemäe, Helja; Solnik, Anu; Malve, Martin; Valk, Heiki; Kriiska, Aivar; Metspalu, Mait; Tambets, Kristiina; Scheib, Christiana L. (11 November 2022). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes of the second plague pandemic in the Baltic region (Unpublished). In: Meeting of the Swiss Society for Anthropology (SGA). Basel. 11.-12.11.2022.

Keller, Marcel; Cooper, Christine; Fetz, Hermann; Seifert, Mathias; Reitmaier, Thomas; Lösch, Sandra (29 October 2022). Pestgräber der Zweiten Pandemie aus Stans (NW) und Domat/Ems (GR): Archäologie, Anthropologie, Paläogenetik (Unpublished). In: Meeting of the Swiss Working Group for Medieval and Modern Archaeology. Luzern. 28.-29.10.2022.

Milella, Marco; Caspari, Gino Ramon; Laffranchi, Zita; Arenz, Gabriele; Sadykov, Timur; Blochin, Jegor; Keller, Marcel; Kapinus, Yulija; Lösch, Sandra (3 September 2022). Cenar en Tuva: correlaciones sociales de dieta y movilidad en una comunidad agropastoril del Sur de Siberia (siglos II-IV d.C.) (Submitted). In: XXII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Antropología Física, 27 29 de Septiembre 2022.

Keller, Marcel; Guellil, Meriam; Saag, Lehti; Malve, Martin; Valk, Heiki; Kriiska, Aivar; Slavin, Philip; Metspalu, Mait; Tambets, Kristiina; Scheib, Christiana L. (27 August 2022). The second plague pandemic in the Baltic region – new evidence from ancient DNA (Unpublished). In: 23rd Paleopathology Association European Meeting. Vilnius.

Keller, Marcel (5 July 2022). Palaeogenetic research on the first plague pandemic – recent advances and future directions (Unpublished). In: European Society for Environmental History Conference 2022.

Keller, Marcel (11 June 2022). Intersecting the evolutionary history of diseases with human history motivations, chances, pitfalls (Unpublished). In: The New Sciences of the Ancient Economy.

Keller, Marcel (3 June 2022). Insights into burial practices through ancient DNA: case studies on kinship and epidemics (Unpublished). In: Interdisciplinary Spring School “Identity-Ritual-Death in the Baltic Sea Region”. Kulice.

Keller, Marcel; Guellil, Meriam; Saag, Lehti; Malve, Martin; Valk, Heiki; Kriiska, Aivar; Slavin, Philip; Metspalu, Mait; Tambets, Kristiina; Scheib, Christiana L. (20 May 2022). Ancient plague genomes of the Second Pandemic from Estonia and Western Russia (Unpublished). In: Plague and Plagues. Transdisciplinary and diachronic perspectives on the history of plague. Palma de Mallorca.

Milella, Marco; Caspari, Gino; Laffranchi, Zita; Arenz, Gabriele; Sadykov, Timur; Blochin, Jegor; Keller, Marcel; Kapinus, Yulija; Lösch, Sandra (March 2022). Dining in Tuva: social correlates of diet and mobility in a nomadic community from Southern Siberia (2nd-4th c. CE). American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 177(S73), p. 124. Wiley

Keller, Marcel; Caspari, Gino Ramon; Milella, Marco; Sadykov, Timur; Blochin, Jegor; Szidat, Sönke; Saag, Lehti; Kivisild, Toomas; Metspalu, Mait; Lösch, Sandra; Scheib, Christiana L. (2021). Genetic insights into kinship and social structure of an Iron Age community from Tuva, Southern Siberia (Unpublished). In: European Association of Archaeologists (EAA): Annual Meeting 2021.

Keller, Marcel; Caspari, Gino Ramon; Milella, Marco; Sadykov, Timur; Blochin, Jegor; Szidat, Sönke; Saag, Lehti; Kivisild, Toomas; Metspalu, Mait; Lösch, Sandra; Scheib, Christiana L. (2021). Genetic characterization of an Iron Age community from Tuva, Southern Siberia (Unpublished). In: International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA) 9.

Keller, Marcel; Guellil, Meriam; Saag, Lehti; Malve, Martin; Valk, Heiki; Kriiska, Aivar; Philip, Slavin; Metspalu, Mait; Tambets, Kristiina; Scheib, Christiana L. (2020). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes of the second plague pandemic in the Baltic region (Unpublished). In: Investigating Bones: Diet, Health, Environment in the Baltic Region. Vilnius.

Keller, Marcel (2019). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes allow comparative insights into the onset and progression of the First (6th¬–8th c.) and Second Pandemic (14th–18th c.) (Unpublished). In: Society for Medieval Archaeology (SMA): Annual Conference 2019 “The Long Black Death”: New Perspectives. York.

Keller, Marcel (2018). The First and Second Plague Pandemic – What have we learned from ancient DNA? (Unpublished). In: Swiss Society for Anthropology (SGA): Annual Meeting 2018. Bern.

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Tukhbatova, Rezeda I.; Walker, Don; Castex, Dominique; Lösch, Sandra; Harbeck, Michaela; Herbig, Alexander; Bos, Kirsten I.; Krause, Johannes (2018). Yersinia pestis genomes recovered from 14th to 17th century plague burials elucidate the initiation and persistence of the Second Pandemic. (Unpublished). In: European Association of Archaeologists (EAA): Annual Meeting 2018. Barcelona.

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Haas-Gebhard, Brigitte; Päffgen, Bernd; Haberstroh, Jochen; Ribera, Albert; Nägele, Kathrin; Trautmann, Bernd; Peters, Joris; McCormick, Michael; Bos, Kirsten I.; Harbeck, Michaela; Herbig, Alexander; Krause, Johannes (2018). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes reveal high diversity during the First Pandemic (6th to 8th c. CE) and genome decay parallel to the Second Pandemic (14th to 18th c. CE). (Unpublished). In: 1st European Yersinia Conference. Jena.

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Scheib, Christiana L.; Haas-Gebhard, Brigitte; Päffgen, Bernd; Haberstroh, Jochen; Ribera i Lacomba, Albert; Raynaud, Claude; Cessford, Craig; Kröpelin, Andreas; Neumann, Gunnar U.; Bates, Jessica S.; Trautmann, Bernd; Inskip, Sarah A.; Peters, Joris; Robb, John E.; Kivisild, Toomas; McCormick, Michael; Bos, Kirsten I.; Harbeck, Michaela; ... (2018). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from Britain, France, Germany and Spain reveal extensive strain diversity during the First Plague Pandemic (541-750 CE). (Unpublished). In: International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA) 8. Jena.

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Haas-Gebhard, Brigitte; Päffgen, Bernd; Haberstroh, Jochen; Ribera, Albert; Nägele, Kathrin; Trautmann, Bernd; Peters, Joris; McCormick, Michael; Bos, Kirsten I.; Harbeck, Michaela; Herbig, Alexander; Krause, Johannes (2017). Genetic diversity within the Justinianic Plague: New Yersinia pestis genomes from Spain and Bavaria. (Unpublished). In: German Society for Anthropology (GfA): 11th International Meeting. Geislingen an der Steige.

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Haas-Gebhard, Brigitte; Päffgen, Bernd; Haberstroh, Jochen; Ribera, Albert; Nägele, Kathrin; Trautmann, Bernd; Peters, Joris; Bos, Kirsten I.; McCormick, Michael; Harbeck, Michaela; Krause, Johannes (2017). Ancient Iberian and Central European Yersinia pestis genomes reveal genetic diversity of the Justinianic Plague (Unpublished). In: Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE): Annual Meeting 2017. Austin.

Keller, Marcel; Haas-Gebhard, Brigitte; Päffgen, Bernd; Haberstroh, Jochen; Trautmann, Bernd; Spyrou, Maria A.; Peters, Joris; Bos, Kirsten I.; McCormick, Michael; Harbeck, Michaela; Krause, Johannes (2016). The First and Second Plague Pandemic in Bavaria, Germany – Preliminary Screening Results (Unpublished). In: International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA) 7. Oxford.

Keller, Marcel; Rott, Andreas; Hoke, Nadja; Grupe, Gisela; Harbeck, Michaela; Wahl, Joachim (2013). United in death - related by blood? Genetic and archaeometric analyses of skeletal remains from the neolithic earthwork Bruchsal-Aue. (Unpublished). In: German Society for Anthropology (GfA): 10th International Meeting. Bolzano.

Working Paper

Keller, Marcel; Guellil, Meriam; Slavin, Philip; Saag, Lehti; Irdt, Kadri; Niinemäe, Helja; Solnik, Anu; Malve, Martin; Valk, Heiki; Kriiska, Aivar; Cessford, Craig; Inskip, Sarah A.; Robb, John E.; Cooper, Christine; von Planta, Conradin; Seifert, Mathias; Reitmaier, Thomas; Baetsen, Willem A.; Walker, Don; Lösch, Sandra; ... (2023). A Refined Phylochronology of the Second Plague Pandemic in Western Eurasia (bioRxiv). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 10.1101/2023.07.18.549544

Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; McCormick, Michael; Bos, Kirsten I.; Herbig, Alexander; Krause, Johannes (November 2019). Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes provide no evidence for the origins or spread of the Justinianic Plague. (Unpublished) (bioRxiv). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 10.1101/819698

Teaching

University of Bern

University of Tartu

  • Spring Semester 2020 and 2021: Evolutionary Processes (LTMR.02.002)

Guest lectures

  • 6/2022 Spring School “Identity-Ritual-Death in the Baltic Sea Region”, Katarzyna Ślusarska, International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Kulice, University of Szczecin.
  • 2/2022 Introductory module “Mensch–Klima–Umwelt”, Elena Xoplaki, Institute of Geography, University of Giessen.
  • 5/2021 Lecture series “Dämmerung der Welt? Zeitenblicke zwischen Antike und Mittelalter”, Christof Paulus, Medieval History, University of Regensburg, Germany
  • 3/2021 Lecture series “Coping with Disease” Timothy Newfield, Department of History, Georgetown University.
  • 11/2020 Lecture series ”Pandemics, Pathogens, and Plagues in the Greek and Roman Worlds” Tyler Franconi, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University.
  • 8/2019 Summer School “Gesundheit und Krankheit des Menschen – Imaginationen, Wissensbestände und Praktiken in Mittelalter und Renaissance”, Tobias Daniels and Angela Oster, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich.
  • 6/2017 and 6/2018 Seminar "Morphologie und Evolution des Menschen", Alexander Stößel, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.