Guy Sella

Sella Lab Website

Evolutionary and population genetics of adaptation and disease

We study the evolutionary processes that give rise to genetic and phenotypic differences between individuals, populations and closely related species. Specifically, we use mathematical models to better understand these processes, and statistical analyses to identify their footprints in data and make inferences about them. Our current work focuses primarily on the evolutionary causes of adaptation and disease, but we also study a variety of other topics. To learn more about the lab, visit our website at https://sellalab.biology.columbia.edu.

• Simons, Y., Mostafavi, H., Smith, C., Pritchard, J. K. and G. Sella (2024) Simple scaling laws control the genetic architectures of human complex traits. In revision. 
• Baker, Z., Przeworski, M. and G. Sella (2023) Down the Penrose stairs: How selection for fewer recombination hotspots maintains their existence. eLife 12: e83769.
• Murphy, D., Elyashiv, E., Amster, G. and G. Sella (2022) Broad-scale variation in human genetic diversity levels is predicted by purifying selection on coding and non-coding elements. eLife 11: e76065.
• Hayward, L. K. and G. Sella (2022) Polygenic adaptation after a sudden change in environment. eLife 11: e66697.
• Amster, G. and G. Sella (2020) Life history effects on neutral diversity levels of autosomes and sex chromosomes. Genetics 215: 1133–42.
• Sella, G. and N. Barton (2019) Thinking about the evolution of complex traits in the era of GWAS. Annual Reviews in Genomics and Human Genetics 20: 461-493.
• Simons, Y., Bullaughey, K., Hudson, R. and G. Sella (2018). A population genetic interpretation of GWAS findings for human quantitative traits. PLoS Biol 16: e2002985.
• Elyashiv E, Sattath S, Hu T, McVicker G, Strutsovsky A, Andolfatto P, Coop G, and G Sella (2016). A genomic map of the effects of linked selection in Drosophila. PLoS Genet 12: e1006130.
• Amster G and G Sella (2016). Life history effects on the molecular clock of autosomes and sex chromosomes. PNAS 113: 1588-1593.
• Simons Y, Turchin M, Pritchard JK* and G Sella* (2014) The deleterious mutation load is insensitive to recent population history. Nat Genet 46: 220–224.
• Hernandez RD, Kelley JL, Elyashiv E, Melton SC, Auton A, McVean G, 1000 Genomes Project, Sella G* and M Przeworski* (2011) Classic selective sweeps were rare in recent human evolution. Science 331: 920-924.
• Sella G, Petrov DA, Przeworski M, and P Andolfatto (2009) Evidence for Pervasive Natural Selection in Drosophila? PLoS Genet 5: e1000495.
• Sella G and DH Ardell (2006). The Coevolution of Genes and Genetic Codes: Crick’s Frozen Accident Revisited. J Mol Evol 63: 297-313.
• Sella G and AE Hirsh (2005). The Application of Statistical Physics to Evolutionary Biology. PNAS 102: 9541-9546.

* Joint senior authors.
⁺ Joint first authors.