PhD Position available at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, UK. Why are there unusual genetic regions of high-diversity self-fertilising species? Supervisors: Matthew Hartfield, Cei Abreu-Goodger, Laura Ross, Lewis Stevens (Wellcome Sanger Institute) Self-fertilisation, where individuals create both male and female gametes that can fuse during reproduction, is a reproductive mode that is pervasive across the tree of life. Although commonly associated with plants, it is also present in a number of animal groups. It is expected that self-fertilising species are an evolutionary 'dead end' as they harbour less genetic diversity than related outcrossing species due to a lack of genome mixing with other parents, and hence limit their ability to respond to evolutionary changes. However, emerging large-scale genetic datasets are challenging this view, by uncovering high-diversity regions in selfing species. Various hypotheses have been proposed for how genetic diversity is able to be maintained, including population mixture and balancing selection. It has also been hypothesised that these regions can subsequently lead to the evolution of selfish genetic elements. There is hence a pressing need to further investigate why these regions are caused, and how they are maintained by selection. The goal of this project is to harness genetic, computational, and bioinformatic analysis to understand the causes and consequences of high diversity in self-fertilising species, with application to a large dataset of several self-fertilising Caenorhabditis nematodes. Further details and application instructions, with a deadline of 14th December 2025: https://e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item=1323 I am also happy to sponsor non-UK student applications for Darwin Trust scholarships (https://biology.ed.ac.uk/darwintrust); please contact me if interested. Deadline for enquiries is the 7th January 2026. The expected start date for the project is October 2026. Interested students can contact me to ask for more details. Matthew Hartfield m.hartfield@ed.ac.uk hartfieldlab.com Matthew Hartfield Room 1.19 Institute of Ecology and Evolution The University of Edinburgh Ashworth Laboratories Charlotte Auerbach Road Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK Tel: +44 (0)131 650 8632 Email: m.hartfield@ed.ac.uk Web: hartfieldlab.com The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th' ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336. Matthew Hartfield (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)