PhD Studentship: The Net Effect of Sex on Adaptation

This fully-funded PhD position at the University of East Anglia explores the long-term evolutionary impacts of sexually concordant and sexually antagonistic selection. Set within the School of Biological Sciences and part of the ARIES Doctoral Training Partnership, the project combines comparative genomics across Drosophila species with population genetic simulations using SLiM. The successful candidate will receive comprehensive training in evolutionary theory, bioinformatics, and biological statistics. The role prepares students for advanced research careers in academia or industry by addressing fundamental questions in evolutionary biology.

• Conduct computer simulations using SLiM to model the theoretical net effect of selection on population viability.
• Perform comparative genomics analyses across multiple Drosophila species to evaluate genomic targets of selection.
• Examine genomic variations between obligate sexual and facultatively asexual species.
• Analyze population genomic datasets to investigate temperate-climate adaptation.
• Manage experimental Drosophila lines and apply statistical frameworks to biological data.