Research and business partners
We are open to a wide spectrum of collaboration with partners from the academic sphere as well as from the applied research, industry, and state and non-profit organisations.
Offers
- Expertise in the field of evolutionary adaptations in vertebrate immunity
- Highly qualified and enthusiastic human resources
- Genetic, bioinformatic and immunological analyses of biological data and samples
- Experience with animal field research
Requirements
- Access to publicly relevant host-pathogen systems
- New complementary technologies
- Access to animals or biological samples
- Novel methods in genetics, bioinformatics, cell and tissue culturing, immunophenotype detection and health monitoring
Offers for PhD students and PostDocs
We offer the PhD and PostDoc positions only based on specific calls. However, if you are a highly motivated candidate for a position, you can contact the leader of the research group and suggest your idea of a future collaboration (there are possibilities to obtain extra competitive resources for specifically motivated candidates).
Current calls:
Title of the PhD project: Does convergent evolution of molecular phenotypes shape immune responses in birds?
Emerging diseases represent an important threat to human health. Many birds (similar to bats) are key vectors of zoonotic infections. While presently underdeveloped, evolutionary research in molecular convergence (sharing of molecular adaptations) could aid in showing zoonotic potentials in different hosts. In silico detection of convergence can predict functionally relevant sites diversifying immune genes across species. The objective of this project is to identify convergent adaptations modulating inflammatory responses to different pathogens in birds. The main aim is to provide a proof of concept by testing the functional effects of selected convergent variants on immune responsiveness (in vitro / in vivo). The applicant will resolve 3 key challenges: 1. reveal how frequent molecular convergence is across different groups of inflammatory genes; 2. in selected candidates test for the functional effects of variants on immune responsiveness; 3. identify links between specific variants and compositions of microbial communities inhabiting the hosts. By exploring their links to avian microbiota, the work will allow prediction of host-symbiont associations. The project will take the advantage of a cutting-edge multidisciplinary approach linking biodiversity-based evolutionary analysis with structural modelling, searching for predictive tools for understanding host variation in disease susceptibility.
The successful candidate will generate and analyse immune gene sequence data (target gene sequencing), run tests of positive selection based on sequence alignments (dN/dS approach), perform clustering of protein structures based on their physicochemical properties, and get involved in analysis of recombinant protein function (in vitro), including differential gene expression analysis (RNA-seq, RT-qPCR).
Focusing on birds that host more diversified microbial communities than mammals, this PhD project opens new possibilities for interdisciplinary research in evolutionary immunology.
Applications are submitted through the STARS application system (https://stars-natur.cz). Applications via postal service or e-mail will not be considered.
Offers for Bc and MSc students
We welcome all motivated students who wish to learn more about evolutionary and ecological immunology and immunogenetics. For Bc and MSc students there are no particular entrance requirements with respect to knowledge or skills. We, however, demand personal diligence.