More than one route to fertility (CHAPMAN_U25DTP2)

Male sexual traits are notoriously variable, which is puzzling, as
traits essential for fitness are expected to exhibit low variation due to
strong directional selection. Though many solutions have been proposed,
we still lack satisfactory, general explanations.  A good example in
found in Drosophila melanogaster fruitflies, in which there are over
250 seminal fluid compounds that have essential functions, but which
also exhibit substantial diversity. It remains unclear why some seminal
fluid proteins have multiple functions, some only one, and why there is
so much apparent functional redundancy. An exciting hypothesis is that
this abundant variation is maintained because there are multiple ways in
which males can achieve reproductive success. This challenge forms the
focus of this PhD project, which the student will tackle in three major
aims, testing whether males (i) exhibit distinct seminal fluid protein
profiles, (ii) respond in a consistent manner to sexual competition,
and (iii) have seminal fluid protein profiles that are associated with
distinct sperm phenotypes.

Led by Professor Tracey Chapman and Professor Simone Immler (UEA)
and by Dr Jen Perry (St Franci Xavier, Nova Scotia) this project will
be based in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of
East Anglia (UEA). The student will receive expert training in leading
'omics analyses from Dr Wilfried Haerty at the Earlham Institute, and
undertake two training visits to the laboratory of Professor Mariana
Wolfner at Cornell University (USA). This will equip the student with
state-of-the-art skills in evolutionary genomics and bioinformatics,
giving a strong set of varied skills for future career development. The
impacts are expected to be new explanations for the maintenance of
diversity and new understanding of fertility mechanisms and how they
might be improved.

Contact for more information: tracey.chapman@uea.ac.uk

To apply:

https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/more-than-one-route-to-fertility/

New strategies for pest insect control by population
suppression. (CHAPMAN_U25DTP1)

Pioneering solutions for pest insect control are urgently needed,
as climate change is increasingly driving pests into new geographic
areas. The student will address this critical challenge by developing
new methods for managing key insect pests. The focus will be the
Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, medfly), which is moving
into new environments including the UK, and poses a growing threat to
agriculture and food security. The student will harness the potential
for insect control of merging CRISPR/Cas9 'homing' gene drives with
genetic sex conversion. This strategy can achieve reductions in pest
population sizes by driving into a population the means to transform
harmful (crop-damaging) females into harmless fertile males. However, a
key gap is the absence of any systematic investigation of the relative
fitness or effect of competition between XX versus XY males. This
challenge forms the focus of this PhD project, which the student will
tackle in two major aims: (i) Compare the fertility and reproductive
success of gene-edited and non-edited XX versus XY males. (ii) Analyse the
detailed courtship and behavioural effects of sex conversion. The student
will receive training in the use of cutting-edge genetic engineering and
gene drive technologies to create novel population suppression strategies,
with the potential to be applied across multiple pest species.

Led by Professor Tracey Chapman and Dr Phil Leftwich, this project
will be based in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of
East Anglia (UEA) and the student will work collaboratively with Dr Tim
Harvey Samuel at Keele University and Dr Angela Meccariello at Imperial
College London.

Contact for more information: tracey.chapman@uea.ac.uk

To apply:

https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/new-strategies-for-pest-insect-control-by-population-suppression/

"Tracey Chapman (BIO - Staff)" <Tracey.Chapman@uea.ac.uk>

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