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I am a mathematician interested in mathematical population genetics and evolution and I focus on the maintenance of polymorphisms. Currently, I model a subdivided population inhabiting two demes where diversifying directional selection acts on two diallelic loci. Therefore, I use different mathematical methods like difference equations, differential equations, bifurcation analysis etc.

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The likelihood function is the base of many statistical inference procedures in parametric models. For some complex models, like for example the Coalescent, it cannot be obtained analytically; therefore, approximate inference methods are used. I am interested in the development and application of such methods for population genetic models, especially Approximate Bayesian Computation and Indirect Inference.

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Florian studied bioinformatics in Munich. He is about to finish his PhD on base composition evolution in putatively neutrally evolving sites in Drosophila melanogaster.

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My research interests are mainly directed towards understanding the genetic architecture of longevity and explaining the huge diversity in life spans found within and between species. How strong is the environmental impact on life span and its companion ageing? Why did evolution lead to the development of organisms that are extremely long or short lived? How is genetic variation in longevity maintained in nature? Molecular pathways regulating longevity are very pleiotropic, which results in trade-offs with other traits. It is therefore important to observe the complete life history of an organism in order to fully understand the genetic and physiological basis of ageing.

Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, I am going to examine variation in several life history characters, such as life span and fecundity, among lines originating from a) different altitudes and b) different latitudes. The acquired results from phenotypic assays will be used to perform genome-wide association studies. Identified polymorphisms in candidate genes connected to a specific phenotype will be functionally observed by creating transgenic flies. Because of the strong evolutionary conservation of ageing, my research will possibly also deliver interesting insights into human gerontology.

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Martina is from Slovakia and investigates the role of germline and steroid hormone signaling in the regulation of Drosophila reproductive physiology and aging with particular focus on female flies.

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I am a mathematician working on migration-selection models. The main question I am concerned with is: To what extent can variation be explained by population subdivision?
To address this question I consider Wright’s quadratic optimum model for multiple demes, with different optima in each deme and several migration patterns. Further I investigate the selection response of an arbitrary distributed quantitative trait (which is determined additively by multiple loci) in a subdivided population.

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Sequencing entire genomes across many individuals is an important step in population genetic inference about selection and demography. However, due to technical problems like missing data and sequencing errors, many existing methods are ill-suited for this kind of data and have to be adapted. My work will be concerned with an example data-set of genome-wide sequence data from A. thaliana, where the complicated demography is an additional challenge.

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Martin studied in Vienna and is interested in molecular ecology and evolution, selection and genomics. In his PhD project he combines the advantages of population genetics and experimental evolution to understand the adaptation of Drosophila species to different temperature regimes.

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Peter studied genetics at the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia). In his PhD he works on comparative evolutionary genetics of aging and life history in the Drosophila simulans clade.

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I am interested in the development and application of models of sequence evolution. In particular I am focusing on Empirical Codon Models, on the problems related to their estimation (like incomplete lineage sorting and polymorphisms) and on their application to tests of positive selection. My background is in Mathematics so I keep a vivid interest in statistical methods. I also collaborate on other projects: the development of statistical methods for detection of signatures of adaptation, and modeling of life history traits.

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I'm studying the phylogeny of Myxomycetes, or plasmodial slime molds. Traditional taxonomical systems of this enigmatic group of organisms are based exclusively on morphological and ultrastructural features. Taking into account that slime molds lack enough morphological data, these systems are "raw" and sometimes do not represent actual phylogenetical relationships between species. In my research, I'm using molecular data (SSU rDNA) to further investigate on this problem. I'm also trying to involve phylogeographical approaches into my work, studying populations from different areas of the world.

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I studied biology in South Africa and developed a growing interest for quantitative and evolutionary genetics. Currently I am screening Drosophila melanogaster populations for polymorphisms in genes involved in heat tolerance. I follow a genome wide association approach to connect phenotype and genotype. I enjoy working in the diverse POPGEN environment with many great scientists from different fields, coming from all over the world.

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I completed my BS in Genetics at the University of Kansas (USA) and have long been interested in Biomathematics.  My PhD research focuses on adaptive gene introgression after secondary contact.  Using the theory of branching processes, I hope to derive the probability and time to fixation of an adaptive allele that is linked to flanking deleterious mutations.  The ultimate goal is to determine the footprint of adaptive introgression in sequence polymorphism data.

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coming soon

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I have long been interested in understanding genotype-phenotype relationships and the ontogeny of complex traits.  As such, I have a growing interest in integrative and systems based biological disciplines, such as evo-devo, evolutionary and ecological genetics/genomics, and the omics fields. My present research investigates the genomic architecture of thermally adapted traits and their evolutionary repeatability in Drosophila. I employ an experimental evolution framework that simultaneously quantifies phenotypic and genotypic (using full-genome next generation sequencing) change in replicate populations, thereby creating a dynamic portrait of thermal adaptation in Drosophila.

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During my undergraduate studies of mathematics and physics in Bielefeld I specialized in biomathematics. Successively, I moved to Vienna to do my PhD under the supervision of Joachim Hermisson. As an associated student of the "Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics" at the Vetmeduni Vienna, I am enjoying close interactions with people from different fields of biology, such as natural variation, functional genetics, genome evolution, bioinformatics and biostatistics. This environment challenges me to broaden my knowledge about various topics in order to be able to discuss the work of my fellow scientists. My particular interest lies in the population genetics of adaptation and speciation.

The goal of my PhD is to develop and analyze mathematical models that help discover the importance of particular speciation mechanisms in various stages of the speciation process. The following projects are part of my PhD thesis:
1. Origin and maintenance of Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) in parapatry: We use classical two-locus migration-selection models to study to which extent the Dobzhansky -Muller model can be transferred to parapatric scenarios. Hereby, we focus on determining the limiting rate of gene flow that still allows for emergence/maintenance of a DMI. Doing this, we identify two different mechanisms that can drive this process. (Collaboration with Joachim Hermisson and Reinhard Bürger, manuscripts in preparation.)
2. Can reinforcement complete speciation? For different four- and five-locus models of a female preference that acts on a male trait, we derive straightforward analytical expressions that characterize the strength of reinforcement at the end of a speciation process. This is achieved using the multi-locus modeling framework developed by Barton and Turelli (1991) together with a newly developed “quasi-linkage disequilibrium” approximation. (Claudia Bank, Joachim Hermisson and Mark Kirkpatrick: Can reinforcement complete speciation? Evolution, in press.)

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I'm interested in all aspects of morphological evolution. Currently I'm working on the developmental/genetic basis of eye size differences in Drosophila. This project will involve traditional mapping methods, genetic functional analysis, and in silico simulation of eye development. I'm also interested in the philosopy and history of science in particular that of morphology and evo-devo.

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I am interested in understanding how animal morphology evolves. Despite recent progress many aspects of morphological evolution remain poorly understood, such as the molecular basis of variation in complex traits like organ size and shape, the contribution of standing genetic variation to inter-specific differences and the adaptive significance of morphological differences. The aim my PhD project is to identify and compare the genetic basis of variation in morphology within and between species. For this I am using the sibling species Drosophila mauritiana and D. simulans, which exhibit a number of striking morphological differences. For this project I am using a combination of genetic mapping, functional analysis and population genetics approaches.