We are looking for a Postdoc to investigate the genomic underpinnings of convergent dietary adaptations in bats.
The Project
While most bats feed on insects, several independent lineages adapted to fruit- or nectar-based diets that are rich in sugars. In contrast to humans, where a sugar rich diet is a major risk factor for metabolic diseases, these bats have metabolic and physiological adaptations to such highly-specialized diets. The postdoc will capitalize on more than 15 already-existing new bat genomes sequenced in the lab with HiFi and HiC, comprehensive comparative RNA-seq datasets and our powerful genomic methods repertoire (e.g. TOGA) to comprehensively discover the genomic basis of adaptations to sugar-rich diets in bats (see here for a similar example in hummingbirds).
The project aims at providing novel insights into fundamental questions concerning (i) the contribution of gene-sequence vs. gene-expression changes and (ii) the importance of convergent vs. lineage-specific molecular changes for phenotypic convergence.
Please apply !!
Vacancy Ref. #12-23005
Application deadline: October 8th 2023
More details
We are offering Master or Bachelor projects related to the computational aspects of our genomics research to students having programming experience (e.g. perl or python) and proficiency in linux. Interested students are encouraged to email Michael.