PhD-position in host-pathogen interactions

Studies in diverse biological systems have led us to believe that host–parasite coevolution is responsible for the extraordinary genetic diversity seen in some genomic regions, such as MHC genes in jawed vertebrates and R-genes in plants. What is still missing, however, is the functional link between genetic variants for host resistance and parasite infectivity on the level of individual interactions and genomic signatures that are predicted to result from these interactions. In this project we address this topic, focusing on a well-established host–parasite system: the water flea Daphnia magna and its virulent bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa. This model system has the potential to reveal the mechanistic connection between resistance and infectivity on the individual level and genomic variation at the species level. Our work may thus serve as a case study for demonstrating how selection on specific host–parasite interactions creates genomic patterns of long-term balancing selection and trans-species polymorphism. The proposed research for the current PhD position aims at the identification of infectivity genes in the bacterial parasite, Pasteuria ramosa. You will learn to use genomic approaches to screen bacteria for loci related to their interactions with the host. The overarching aim of the project is to gain a deeper understanding how these genes interact to produce phenotypic variation. Specifically, we will map genes for polymorphisms in parasite infection using stratified genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
This project is part of a larger grant funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation aiming to understand host-parasite coevolution. Different subprojects of this grant complement each other, promising to create a comprehensive picture of the nature and dynamics of the genes that underlay coevolutionary interactions of this system over both the short-term (via patterns of parasitism and selection) and the long-term (via genomic signatures). The proposed research will close the gap between theory, individual level patterns of disease and genomic signatures at disease loci. This is important not only for this system, but for many other host-parasite systems undergoing antagonistic evolution, including humans and their parasites.

Starting date for the PhD is negotiable (any time from January 2020 onwards). The working language in the group is English. Speaking German is helpful in every day life in Basel, but is not a requirement.

Please send your application by email (all material in one PDF please) to Dieter Ebert. Applications should include a motivation letter, a CV, a list of publications and a statement about research interests. Please give names and email addresses of two (or more) persons who are willing to write a letter of recommendation. Application deadline is 30. November 2019.

Further information and address for application: Prof. Dr. Dieter Ebert, University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, Basel, Switzerland, Email: [Email Address Removed]