PhD position: Genomics basis of the arms race between a parasite and its host, the threespine stickleback

A fully-funded 4-year PhD position is available in the Aubin-Horth and Landry Laboratories at Universite Laval in Quebec City, Canada. The PhD student will work on a project aimed at dissecting the genomic bases of the co-evolution between the threespine stickleback and its worm parasite, Schistocephalus solidus.

The candidate is expected to have a Master degree in biology or a related discipline, and a background in bioinformatics (R, Python or Perl), statistics and genomics. The candidate should have strong leadership skills, motivation and creativity and be able to work in a team of collaborators.

The Aubin-Horth and Landry Laboratories are located at the Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS) at Université Laval. IBIS offers a very stimulating training environment and cutting edge on-site platforms in genomics, proteomics and microscopy. The Aubin-Horth Lab members are evolutionary biologists, neuroendocrinologists and behaviour biologists working together using an integrative approach to uncover the mechanisms underlying the alteration of stickleback behaviour by its endoparasite, by studying both the host and its parasite at the molecular, cellular and hormonal level, as well as how they interact. The Landry lab is an international team of 15 students, PDFs and research associates from different backgrounds (microbiology, biology, bioinformatics, biochemistry) addressing questions in evolutionary cell and systems biology.

The application package (1 single PDF file) should include a motivation letter demonstrating the interest of the candidate for the field and his/her ability to perform this type of research, a CV and the contact information of three people who can provide letters of reference. The file should be sent to Nadia.Aubin-Horth@bio.ulaval.ca

Starting date could be as early as September 2017. The competition will remain open until a candidate is selected.

-For more information on research ongoing in the Aubin-Horth and Landry laboratories, please visit:
http://wikiaubinhorth.ibis.ulaval.ca/Main_Page
http://landrylab.ibis.ulaval.ca/

-Recent publications from the two laboratories on this subject:

Hébert FO, Grambauer S, Barber I, Landry CR, Aubin-Horth N. Major host
transitions are modulated through transcriptome-wide reprogramming events in
Schistocephalus solidus, a threespine stickleback parasite. 2-17. Molecular Ecology. 26:1118-1130.

Grécias L, Hébert FO, Berger CS, Barber I, Aubin-Horth N. 2017. Can the behaviour of
threespine stickleback parasitized with Schistocephalus solidus be replicated by
manipulating host physiology? J Experimental Biology. 15: 237-246. doi:
10.1242/jeb.151456. Epub 2016 Nov 3. PubMed PMID: 27811294.

Hébert FO, Grambauer S, Barber I, Landry CR, Aubin-Horth N. 2016. Transcriptome
sequences spanning key developmental states as a resource for the study of the
cestode Schistocephalus solidus, a threespine stickleback parasite. Gigascience. 5:24.

Hebert FO, Phelps L, Samonte I, Panchal M, Grambauer S, Barber I, Kalbe M,
Landry CR, Aubin-Horth N. 2015. Identification of candidate mimicry proteins involved
in parasite-driven phenotypic changes. Parasites and Vectors. 15 :225.

Hébert FO, Aubin-Horth N. 2014. Ecological genomics of host behavior manipulation by parasites.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 781:169-90. d

Landry CR, Aubin-Horth N. 2014. Recent advances in ecological genomics: from
phenotypic plasticity to convergent and adaptive evolution and speciation. Adv
Exp Med Biol. 781:1-5.

Pavey SA, Bernatchez L, Aubin-Horth N, Landry CR. 2012. What is needed for
next-generation ecological and evolutionary genomics? Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 27:673-8.

________________________________
Christian Landry, PhD
Professeur agrégé

Chaire de Recherche du Canada en Biologie évolutive des systèmes cellulaires
// Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Cell and Systems Biology

Département de Biologie
Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes
PROTEO
Centre de recherche en données massives (CRDM)

Local 3106, Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand
1030, Avenue de la Médecine
Université Laval
Québec (Québec) G1V 0A6
Canada

http://landrylab.ibis.ulaval.ca/
http://journalclub.ibis.ulaval.ca/