Postdoctoral Position - Evolution of Polygenic Traits

Postdoctoral Position - Evolution of Polygenic Traits

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology

Plön, Germany

Our group studies the genetic basis of adaptation in complex traits. We take a multidisciplinary approach, integrating temporal genomic and high-throughput phenotypic data from experimental evolution in highly replicated Drosophila populations with theoretical models and computer simulations.

Adaptation of complex traits is assumed to occur through subtle frequency changes at many loci following a shift in the trait optimum, i.e. polygenic adaptation. Many factors, such as population size, pleiotropy and genetic redundancy among contributing loci, affect adaptation. The successful postdoc will be involved in a project that aims to investigate the genetic architecture of a polygenic trait, embryo size in Drosophila, and to study the effect of distance to trait optimum on the adaptive architecture. Our group has recently developed an accurate and high-throughput method for embryo size measurement using large particle flow cytometry. The postdoc will establish an experimental framework to shift the average embryo size with different intensities in replicate populations of Drosophila. The technicians will support the successful candidate for the maintenance of the experimental populations. The genetic architecture of embryo size will be determined using GWAS on several available Drosophila panels. In a parallel evolve and re-sequence (E&R) project, Drosophila populations will be experimentally evolved for larger/smaller embryo size. The postdoc will be responsible for the analysis of GWAS, and time-series genomic and phenotypic (embryo size, gene expression) data.

Qualifications

• PhD in evolutionary biology, quantitative genetics, or related field.
• Strong background in quantitative genetics, solid programming skills (Python, R, etc.), and experience in handling large datasets.
• A solid background in population genetics and statistics will be a bonus.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• We especially encourage applicants who are interested in developing their own complementary research directions.