Dr. Binia De Cahsan Westbury

Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics
Globe Institute
University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark

Binia De Cahsan Westbury is an evolutionary biologist with research interests in conservation genetics and palaeogenomics. She focuses on genetic changes in both historic and contemporary populations, with a particular interest in endangered species such as koalas and black rhinos. De Cahsan Westbury earned her Ph.D. from the University of Potsdam (2020), where she studied genetic diversity and introgression in the endangered European fire-bellied toad. She integrates genomic data from museum collections and environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess genetic diversity and explore shifts over time. Currently a senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen, she applies temporal genomics to investigate evolutionary processes shaping present-day populations, utilising both modern and ancient genomes to understand long-term genetic changes and extinction risks.