Dr Turi King

Research Fellow, The Impact of Diasporas
(Project Manager)

Lecturer in Genetics and Archaeology

Contact Details

• Tel: +44 (0)116 223 1229 
• Email: tek2@le.ac.uk
• Office: Attenborough 705
• Website: The Impact of Diasporas

Research

I became interested in how the discipline of genetics can be married with those of archaeology, anthropology and history while studying biological anthropology at the University of Cambridge. This interest in interdisciplinary research took me on to the University of Leicester to study for a Masters degree in molecular genetics and where I had the good fortune of carrying out my research project in Professor Mark Jobling's lab characterizing two Y chromosome polymorphisms. I was hooked!

I am fascinated by the relationship between Y chromosome types and paternally inherited surnames. While my doctoral research examined the link between surname and Y chromosome type in Britain, my current research explores this relationship further and how it can find an application in the fields of genealogy, forensics, population history.

I am interested in furthering interdisciplinary research combining the field of genetics with history, archaeology, anthropology, forensics and epidemiology: using other genetic markers, in combination with the Y chromosome, to elucidate past migration and population structure; the social impact of genetic genealogy testing and how the results of these tests can affect a person's perception of their identity; exploring the potential differences between differing classes of surnames in Britain and the link between Y chromosome type and paternally inherited surnames in other parts of the world.

I am involved in the The Impact of Diasporas on the Making of Britain research project.

Most Recent Publications

1. (with Stephen Harding and Mark Jobling), Viking DNA: The Wirral and West Lancashire Project (Nottingham University Press, 2011)
2. (with George Redmonds and David Hey), Surnames, DNA, and Family History (Oxford University Press, 2011)
3. Patricia Balaresque, Georgina R. Bowden, Susan M. Adams, Ho-Yee Leung, Turi E. King, Zoë H. Rosser, Jane Goodwin, Jean-Paul Moisan, Christelle Richard, Ann Millward, Andrew G. Demaine, Guido Barbujani, Carlo Previderè, Ian J. Wilson, Chris Tyler-Smith, Mark A. Jobling (2010) PLoS Biol. 8, e1000285. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000285. A predominantly Neolithic origin for European paternal lineages. Article available as Open Access
4. King, T.E. and Jobling, M.A. (2009) Trends Genet. 25, 351-360. What’s in a name? - Y chromosomes, surnames, and the genetic genealogy revolution. Authors' revised version of this article available here, published version here.
5. King, T.E. and Jobling, M.A. (2009) Mol. Biol. Evol. 26, 1093-1102. Founders, drift and infidelity: the relationship between Y chromosome diversity and patrilineal surnames. Article available as Open Access.

Full list of publications