Michel C. Milinkovitch

michel.milinkovitch@unige.ch
+41 22 379 67 85

Michel Milinkovitch is Full Professor in the Department of Genetics & Evolution at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). He is also a member of the Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3) since its foundation (2011) and a Group leader of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) since 2014. As an evolutionary geneticist, he contributed significantly to quantitative analysis and modelling in Molecular Phylogenomics and Applied Evolutionary Genetics. He has developed concepts, analytical tools, and algorithms/models for multiple sequence alignments, phylogeny inference and haplotypic network building. His recent focus is on Evolutionary Developmental Genetics (Evo-Devo) and the Physics of Biology. He has published over 90 papers in international peer-reviewed journals for a cumulate impact factor of over 800. He has also published 7 book chapters. He has given over 160 talks all around the world. He has been reviewer for over 30 peer-reviewed international journals and for academic promotions, grant proposals, and PhD committees in Europe and the USA. He has served, and is still serving, on the Editorial Board of scientific journals and has supervised more than 15 PhD theses. He has served on the ERC (European Research Council) evaluation panel. Michel Milinkovitch obtained several prizes and awards both for his academic and popularisation work. He is co-founder of the spin-off Delphi Genetics (www.delphigenetics.com).

Selected publications

  • A Living Mesoscopic Cellular Automaton Made of Skin Scales  

    Manukyan L., Montandon S.A., Fofonjka A., Smirnov S., M.C. Milinkovitch

    Nature 544, 7649: 173–179 (2017)

  • The Anatomical Placode in Reptile Scale Morphogenesis Indicates Shared Ancestry 
Among Skin Appendages in Amniotes

    Di-Poï N., M. C. Milinkovitch

    Science Advances 2, 6: e1600708 (2016)

  • Photonic Crystals Cause Active Colour Change in Chameleons


    Teyssier J., Saenko S.V., van der Marel D., M.C. Milinkovitch

    Nature Communications 6, 6368 (2015)

  • R2OBBIE-3D, a Fast Robotic High-Resolution System for Quantitative Phenotyping of Surface Geometry and Colour-Texture

    Martins A., Bessant M., Manukyan L., M.C. Milinkovitch

    PLOS ONE 10, 6: e0126740 (2015)

  • Crocodile Head Scales Are Not Developmental Units But Emerge from Physical Cracking

    Milinkovitch M.C., Manukyan L., Debry A., Di-Poï N., Martin S., Singh D., Lambert D., Zwicker M.


    Science 339, 6115: 78-81 (2013)

  • Crocodylians Evolved Scattered Multi-Sensory Micro-Organs

    Di-Poï N. & M.C. Milinkovitch

    EvoDevo 4, 19 (2013)

  • Contrasted evolution of the vomeronasal receptor repertoires in Mammals and Squamate reptiles

    Brykczynska, Tzika, Rodriguez & Milinkovitch

    Genome Biology Evolution 5, 2: 389-401 (2013)

  • 2X genomes - depth does matter

    Milinkovitch M.C., Helaers R., Depiereux E., Tzika A.C., & T. Gabaldon

    Genome Biology 11, 16 (2010)