Research area: Experimental population genetics

Christian Schlötterer has a long-term research interest to understand the evolutionary forces shaping molecular variation in natural populations. He made substantial contributions describing the partitioning of variation among natural D. melanogaster and D. simulans populations.

Furthermore, he has pioneered the identification of selection in natural populations by using microsatellite variability. Using a similar rationale, Christian Schlötterer developed a microsatellite-based system for the identification of selective sweeps in experimental E. coli populations. Using this system, he obtained insights into the distribution of effect sizes among positive mutations occurring during the experimental evolution experiments.

Christian Schlötterer also studied the evolution of gene expression by comparing the pattern of sex-biased gene expression in D. pseudoobscura to D. melanogaster. More recently, Christian is using next generation sequencing to address questions in population genetics, genome evolution and transcriptomics.

Research area: Theoretical population genetics

Joachim Hermisson's work is on theoretical population genetics where he combines molecular, phenotypic, and ecological approaches. He is particularly interested in the evolutionary conditions for adaptation and speciation. Another research focus is on the effects of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on genetic variation and the adaptive process (epistatis and evolvability) and on the evolution of the genotype-phenotype map (robustness, canalization, and modularity). The methods used in his studies include analytical approaches from various mathematical fields (differential equations, stochastic processes, coalescent theory, statistics) and computer simulations (both time-forward and coalescent).

Research area: Mathematical population genetics

Most of Reinhard Bürger's research has been concerned with the equilibrium and evolutionary properties of quantitative traits under various forms of selection. Since such traits are typically determined by many gene loci, the analysis of multilocus models and the development of appropriate methods have been a major research focus. Among others, Bürger studied models of mutation, stabilizing selection, and random genetic drift, and he derived approximations for the equilibrium distribution of a quantitative trait subject to these forces. He also analyzed the evolutionary response to various forms of directional and fluctuating selection, and investigated the role of recombination and sexual reproduction for the magnitude of the selection response. Further, he studied how the evolution of multivariate traits depends on the patterns of pleiotropic mutation and multivariate selection. Further research topics include the extinction risk of endangered populations, the evolution of phenotypic mutation rates (errors during transcription and translation), and the origin of evolution.

Research area: Mechanisms and Evolution of Aging and Life History

We are studying the mechanisms and evolution of aging and other life history traits, using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model system. A major focus of our research is on the hormonal regulation of lifespan and of trade-offs between reproduction and lifespan, immune function, and somatic maintenance. To address these problems we use the multidisciplinary approaches, including methods from evolutionary genetics, experimental evolution, molecular genetics, and physiology.

Research area: Biostatistics

Andreas Futschik is interested in the development and analysis of statistical methodology, and its application in a biostatistical and in particular genetic context. His work has been published both in statistics and in genetics journals. A focus of his work in statistics has been on multiple hypothesis testing and nonparametric inference. In genetics, he participated in the development of QTL mapping methods based on statistical model selection in the context of multiple regression models with epistasis. He also obtained multiple testing corrections in the context of sequence alignment when multiple scoring matrices are used. In population genetics, he proved the inadmissibility of Watterson's estimator.

Research area: Theoretical molecular evolution

Arndt von Haeseler has long standing research interest in understanding the theoretical foundations of molecular evolution. He puts special emphasis on modeling the evolutionary process on different levels of complexities. Besides modeling evolution he also uses evolutionary models to infer the past from data provided by contemporary organisms. To achieve these goals he applies methodological tools from Mathematics and Computer Sciences. Moreover, his group is involved in the development of bioinformatics platforms to handle large amount of data.

Research area: Population genetics and genomics

Ines Hellmann's work focuses on the detection of molecular signals of selection in genomic data. She is particularly interested how genomic structures, such as chromosome position, recombination rate and GC-content, impact the evolution of genes. A new research interest is evolutionary epigenetics. Now, that new technologies elucidate the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance, it will be interesting to investigate what impact epigenetics can have on evolution. Ines Hellmann's work includes the application of known methods to genome-wide data-sets, but also requires the development of new methods.

Research area: Probabilistic models for the population genetics of molecular evolution

Carolin Kosiol's main interest is the development of new statistical methods of sequence evolution. During her PhD at the European Bioinformatics Institute she developed a tool to identify amino acid groupings from substitution models and she estimated a first empirical codon substitution model to improve the understanding of the patterns and pressures of protein evolution. Codon models are widely used to study natural selection between different species and to identify functional elements in genome-wide scans. During the last two years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology at Cornell University she has contributed to several inter- and intra-species scans of selection.

Research area: Genetics of adaptation

Magnus Nordborg's main research interest is the genetic basis of adaptation. His group seeks to learn more about the number and types of genetic differences that underlie adaptive differences, and tries to understand their evolutionary dynamics. The group uses a combination of empirical and theoretical approaches, ranging from gene mapping and system biology in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, to the development of basic population genetics models. Magnus Nordborg has published over 60 papers on topics ranging from basic population genetics theory to the regulation of flowering in A. thaliana. Since January 1, 2009, he is director of the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology in Vienna.

Research area: Data analysis in population and quantitative genetics, and linkage mapping

Claus Vogl has worked extensively in the theory and analysis of population and quantitative genetic and linkage data. He has developed probabilistic Bayesian approaches in these areas and has analyzed many datasets with these methods. Particularly relevant to hybridization is his work on mapping transmission ratio distorting loci (TRDL), since in this case the phenotype is a distorted segregation ratio. This is known to occur as a result of outbreeding depression, when two widely separated populations come into secondary contact, e.g., when widely separated populations are crossed to maximize genetic distance for mapping or during natural hybridization. Furthermore, Claus Vogl also has experience in investigating on population subdivision using Bayesian methods from his earlier work.