Brief History

Portugaliæ Genetica resulted from the wish of promoting a yearly encounter of researchers in population genetics and evolution in Porto for sharing of ideas, results and projects in an informal setting.

The 1^st edition, held in March 1998 had only one foreigner invited speaker, Jaume Bertranpetit (Pompeu Fabra University). The meeting grew, with increasing number of invited speakers and attendees, always around the time of the Spring Equinox.

Particularly memorable were the editions in years 2000 and 2001. The former promoted an interchange between Portuguese and Brazilian researchers on the celebration of the 500 years of Cabral’s finding of Brazil under the theme “Millennia of divergence/five centuries of admixture (genes and populations)”. The latter, included in the events of Porto and Santiago de Compostela European Capitals of Culture, was focused on the “Population genetics of NW Iberia” and included a trip from Porto to Santiago and back, following one of the Santiago pilgrim routes, “Caminhos de Santiago”.

Portugaliæ Genetica editions have included many prestigious speakers, such as Francesc Calafell, Sérgio Pena, Matt Hurles, Vincent Macaulay, Mark Jobling, Chris Tyler-Smith, Angel Carracedo, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Laurent Excoffier, Simon Davis, Damian Labuda, Henrik Kaessman and David Lynch.