Binia De Cahsan Westbury
Researcher
Globe Institute, Section for Hologenomics, University of Copenhagen
Biography
Dr. Binia De Cahsan Westbury is an evolutionary biologist and senior researcher at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen. Her work focuses on conservation genetics and palaeogenomics, using ancient and modern DNA to understand how species adapt—or fail to adapt—to environmental change. She investigates long-term genetic shifts in endangered animals such as koalas and black rhinos, combining data from museum specimens, environmental DNA, and living populations. Her aim is to uncover how past events like habitat loss, climate shifts, and human pressures have shaped today’s genetic diversity, helping predict future risks of extinction. De Cahsan Westbury earned her PhD from the University of Potsdam, where she studied gene flow and diversity in the fire-bellied toad. Her research uses "temporal genomics" to reveal evolutionary patterns across time, providing insights that are essential for wildlife conservation and understanding how species respond to a rapidly changing world.
