PhD position in genome evolution and architecture in unicellular eukaryotes

Are you fascinated by how eukaryotic genomes evolve? Do you want to look beyond model organisms and point mutations to uncover the complexity of genome evolution? Are you excited to use computational approaches to explore how genome architecture shapes evolution in a collaborative and stimulating environment? We offer a PhD position in our diverse research team in the Laboratory of Microbiology at Wageningen University & Research. As a PhD candidate, you will investigate how 3D chromosome folding influence how the genomes of unicellular eukaryotes evolve.

What will you do?
In this PhD project, you will study the genome evolution and architecture – including 3D folding - of understudied unicellular eukaryotes, using the latest computational approaches.

As PhD candidate in our lab, you will:

• utilize cutting-edge bioinformatics tools to trace the evolution of genomes, genes and proteins, including phylogenetic analyses and reconstructions;
• use new genomic data to characterize the large-scale and small-scale genome architectures of understudied eukaryotic microbes;
• deepen our understanding of eukaryotes’ diversification and origins;
• have the opportunity to pursue your own research questions and implement your ideas;
• work independently and develop your own research questions within the project;
• contribute to teaching in our courses and supervising BSc and MSc thesis students;
• work in a stimulating environment that combines evolutionary and cellular research on eukaryotes and prokaryotes, in a team operating at the forefront of unravelling the deep origins of eukaryotic cells, and we are expanding our explorations of the understudied world of eukaryotic microbes.

Even though this is a computational project, it offers possibilities to work on eukaryotic microbes in the wet lab.

Why?
Understanding how genomes evolve is fundamental to explaining species diversity and adaptation. Compared with prokaryotes, eukaryotic genomes show a greater structural and functional plasticity, with a larger genome size, a higher proportion of non-coding regions and a more complex 3D chromosome organization. Notably, genome evolution is not only driven by small mutations, but also by larger changes, including chromosome rearrangements and horizontal gene transfer. How and why such changes occur is still an open question, in particular for eukaryotic microbes, which dominate the eukaryotic tree of life but remain poorly studied. Recent studies, conducted in model organisms, suggest that these changes are induced by how chromosomes are folded in 3D. This 3D folding of the chromosomes typically allows distant genomic regions to interact. To gain a deeper understanding of genome evolution, including in non-model organisms, taking 3D chromosome folding into account is a promising direction.

You will work here
This PhD position is embedded within the Laboratory of Microbiology, and part of the Genome Evolution and Dynamics in Eukaryotes (GEDE) group, which is led by Dr. Jolien van Hooff. You will be co-supervised by Dr. Ursula Oggenfuss. We aim to get this position filled by March 2027.