Valentin Hivert

Dr Valentin Hivert is a Research Fellow in Statistical Genomics at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) of The University of Queensland (UQ), where he is affiliated with the Centre for Population and Disease Genomics. His research sits at the intersection of statistical genomics, quantitative genetics and population genetics, combining large-scale genomic data with statistical and evolutionary approaches to understand the genetic architecture of complex traits and the processes shaping genetic variation within and between human populations.

Following a PhD in Population Genetics from the University of Montpellier, France, in 2018, he joined UQ in 2019, where he undertook postdoctoral training in quantitative genetics with Professors Peter Visscher and Loïc Yengo.

His current research focuses on three closely connected areas: characterising the genetic architecture of complex traits, including additive and non-additive genetic effects; understanding how genetic associations and their implications for genomic prediction vary across populations; and investigating how demographic history and evolutionary processes, including natural selection, local adaptation and antagonistic pleiotropy, shape polygenic variation. He develops and applies statistical and computational methods to large-scale genomic datasets, with the broader aim of understanding the origins, distribution and consequences of genetic variation in human populations.