Overview
Interested in cutting-edge genetics and environmental biology? Eager to uncover how life adapts to some of the harshest conditions on Earth? Apply for this PhD to explore the molecular and regulatory basis of extreme environmental tolerance in fish, developing tools for biodiversity conservation and climate-resilient aquaculture.
About this opportunity
Climate variability is reshaping freshwater and saline ecosystems worldwide, threatening biodiversity and food security. Tilapia fish, of the genus Oreochromis, are key aquaculture species and models for environmental adaptation, but one remarkable subgroup, Alcolapia, thrives in East Africa’s hypersaline soda lakes—conditions lethal to most vertebrates. This project will dissect the genetic networks that enable Alcolapia and related Oreochromis species to flourish under salinity changes, with direct applications to aquaculture resilience and conservation biology.
As a PhD candidate, you will work at the interface of evolutionary genomics, eco-physiology, and computational biology. Using tilapia lineages spanning a spectrum of environmental tolerance, your research will help identify adaptive loci, reconstruct associated gene regulatory networks, and produce accessible tools that link genotype to phenotype under climate-driven pressures.
This project aims to transform our understanding of vertebrate adaptation to environmental response by:
- Sequencing and assembling genomes of multiple Alcolapia and Oreochromis species, followed by comparative genomic analyses.
- Performing controlled assays across a salinity gradient in Alcolapia and Oreochromis species to link physiology with genotype.
- Profiling transcriptomic (RNA-seq) and epigenomic (ATAC-seq) responses of multiple tissues to reveal regulatory dynamics.
- Integrating multi-omics data with systems biology and deep learning to reconstruct gene regulatory networks.
- Pinpointing adaptive loci and developing user-friendly resources for aquaculture and conservation applications.
Training and Research Environment
You will join a collaborative team spanning evolutionary genomics, ecological physiology, and bioinformatics. Training combines eco-physiological experiments (fish husbandry, tolerance assays) with advanced omics (genome assembly, multi-omics sequencing) and computational analysis, including machine learning. You will have access to state-of-the-art sequencing facilities, high-performance computing, and tailored bioinformatics training.
Regular seminars, lab meetings, and workshops across all supervisor institutions will provide a strong interdisciplinary network. You will develop transferable skills in genomics, programming (R/Python), quantitative analysis, and scientific communication. Opportunities include presenting at international conferences and contributing to high-impact publications.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive research environment that values diversity and promotes equity. We encourage applications from all backgrounds.