********************GradStudentPositions******************** PHD POSITION: GENETIC DIVERSITY OF ATLANTIC SALMON The Fish Ecology and Evolution in Dynamic Ecosystems (FishEyE) group at University College Cork is offering a PhD position to work on genetic diversity in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and its ecological and evolutionary drivers, across the island of Ireland. Salmon are iconic species of broad cultural, ecological and economic value, renowned for their precise homing to natal rivers. This behaviour, coupled with natural selection acting on heritable phenotypic traits across gradients of landscape heterogeneity, has produced a profusion of distinct, locally adapted, salmon populations. Yet salmon are in crisis and face a cocktail of anthropogenic stressors. This project will examine spatiotemporal patterns in genetic diversity in salmon at different spatial and temporal scales and elucidate underlying environmental and anthropogenic drivers. The project will be embedded in a newly funded research programme titled LEGACY: Understanding the Origins and Vulnerability of Diversity within Atlantic Salmon to Safeguard our Natural Evolutionary Heritage. The PhD student will join a vibrant and dynamic team of geneticists and ecologists working on fish and other taxa. Our team also has strong links with the Marine Institute and other government agencies in Ireland and beyond, and we collaborate broadly with top salmonid biologists and geneticists across Europe and North America. The research will be conducted in the School of BEES which consists of 30+ faculty, ca. 20 postdocs and 50 PhD students across Zoology, Ecology, Plant Sciences and Geology. Cork is situated on the south coast of Ireland, 2.5 hours from Dublin, is served by an international airport, has a population of about 200,000, and is on the doorstep of some of the most beautiful coastline in Europe. Candidates interested in this position should hold a minimum of a BSc, and ideally also an MSc, with a background in evolutionary biology or populations genetics/genomics, and have a strong interest in studying landscape drivers of intraspecific diversity and global change biology. Previous experience with data analysis, in particular bioinformatics and GIS, are essential. The project will be largely desk/lab based, but there are opportunities for fieldwork too. Prior experience with molecular lab work is a major plus too. We are looking for someone with fluent English, good communication and writing skills, and ability to work in a team. The position is funded for 4 years and the start date is 1 March 2026. The primary supervisor will be Dr Tom Reed, and the secondary supervisor Prof. Phil McGinnity. A senior postdoc will also play a key mentorship role. Please write to Dr Tom Reed (treed@ucc.ie) if you have further questions about the project or position. University College Cork is committed to equity and diversity and actively promotes equal opportunities. To apply for this position, please send a letter of motivation and CV, together with contact details of two references and your certificates as a single pdf ( <10 MB) to treed@ucc.ie with the subject "Application: Your Name [PhD Salmon Genetics]". The deadline for applications is Feb 2, 2026, or until the position is filled. Interviews to be held shortly thereafter, online. Associate Prof. Dr Tom Reed University College Cork Evolutionary Ecology of Fish and other taxa GROUP: https://www.ucc.ie/en/fisheye/ [under reconstruction] DEPARTMENT: https://www.ucc.ie/en/bees/ SUPERVISORS: https://research.ucc.ie/en/persons/thomas-reed/ https://research.ucc.ie/en/persons/philip-mcginnity/ Thomas Reed Philip McGinnity Thomas Reed (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************PostDocs******************** Post-doctoral position: University of Texas San Antonio in Evolutionary and Developmental Genomics Description: The Evolutionary & Developmental Genomics (EDGe) lab (https://www.anti-sense.org) at the University of Texas San Antonio combines experimental and computational approaches to study the evolution of genetic conflicts in the germ line, molecular mechanisms underlying sex chromosome drive, and the developmental processes that are compromised as a result of the activities of selfish genetic elements. We foster an environment of collaboration and mentorship, offering opportunities to develop new skills and pursue independent ideas that align with the lab's mission. Project Focus: The successful candidate will investigate the consequences of meiotic drive on male gametogenesis and fertility in Drosophila. The project leverages multiple non-model Drosophila species to uncover the molecular and developmental mechanisms underlying gametic dysfunction, and the consequences of sex chromosome meiotic drive, which leads to impaired segregation of sex chromosomes and reduced fertility/infertility. Recent publications relevant to the proposed project: 1. Vedanayagam J. Small-RNA-mediated suppression of sex chromosome meiotic conflicts during Drosophila male gametogenesis. 2025. Biochemical Society Transcations 53(1): 281-291 2. Vedanayagam J., Herbette M., Mudgett H., Lin C., Gunasinghe H., McDonough- Goldstein C., Dorus S., Loppin B., Meiklejohn C., Dubruille R., Lai E.C. 2023. Essential and recurrent roles for hairpin RNAs in silencing de novo sex chromosome conflict in Drosophila simulans PLoS Biology 21(6): e3002136 3. Vedanayagam J., Lin C., Papareddy R., Nodine M., Flynt A., Wen J., Lai E.C. 2023. Regulatory logic of endogenous RNAi in silencing de novo genomic conflicts PLoS Genetics 19(6):e1010787 4. Vedanayagam J., Lin C., Lai E.C. 2021. Rapid evolutionary dynamics of an expanding family of meiotic drive factors and their hpRNA suppressors Nature Eco. & Evol. 5(12):1613-1623 Responsibilities: A successful candidate will conduct genetic crosses in Drosophila and perform genomic and transcriptomic analyses to characterize drivers and suppressors of meiotic drive. Key responsibilities include conducting research, contributing to manuscript preparation and dissemination of results at conferences, participating in regular lab meetings and journal clubs, and working independently while mentoring junior researchers. Additionally, excellent written and oral communication skills are a plus! Required qualifications: Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Developmental Biology, or related field. Demonstration of research productivity with first-author and contributing author manuscripts is highly valued. Furthermore, bioinformatics skills are highly preferred (especially R, but also Python or other relevant languages). Please contact Jeffrey with a cover letter describing your research experience and interests, a CV including publications, and contact information for 2-3 references. The position is open till 2/15/2026 or until a suitable candidate is identified on a rolling basis. Salary: This is a grant-funded position, and the salary range is based on the NRSA stipend levels stipulated by the National Institutes of Health, commensurate with experience and qualifications. This is a full-time position with an initial appointment of one year, renewable annually based on performance and funding availability. The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) is a nationally recognized, top-tier public research university that unites the power of higher education, biomedical discovery and healthcare within one visionary institution. As the third-largest research university in Texas and a Carnegie R1-designated institution, UT San Antonio is a model of access and excellence advancing knowledge, social mobility and public health across South Texas and beyond. UT San Antonio serves approximately 42,000 students in 320 academic programs spanning science, engineering, medicine, health, liberal arts, AI, cybersecurity, business, education and more. With 17,000 faculty and staff, UT San Antonio has also been recognized as a Top Employer in Texas by Forbes Magazine. Contact: Jeffrey Vedanayagam Assistant Professor Department of Neuroscience, Developmental And Regenerative Biology Faculty affiliate: School of Data Science University of Texas San Antonio https://www.anti-sense.org Email: jeffrey.vedanayagam@utsa.edu Jeffrey Vedanayagam (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************WorkshopsCourses******************** Course on Programming for Evolutionary Biology When: 2026 February 17th - March 6th 2026 Location: Berlin, Germany We had two short-notice cancellations by accepted participants, so there is a chance to still participate if you are quick. Detailed information about the course content and how to apply: http://evop.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de/ Founded in 2012, our well established course is back with novel content! In this intensive 16 days course, students will learn how to survive in a Linux environment, get hands-on experience in two widely used programming languages (Python and R), and statistical data analysis. The classes will be given by experts in the field and consist of lectures and exercises with the computer. The aim of the course is to provide the students with the necessary background and skills to perform computational analyses with a focus on solving research questions related to genomics and evolution. The philosophy of the course will be "learning by doing", which means that the computational skills will be taught using examples and real data from evolutionary biology for the exercises. During the course, students will also propose projects of their own interest and perform them as final projects in small groups under the supervision of a teaching assistant. This course is open for students from all countries and targeted toward PhD students and postdocs of evolutionary biology or related research fields with no or little programming experience who want to become proficient in computational evolutionary biology in a couple of weeks. The course takes place at the Free University of Berlin. For any questions related to the course, please send an email to: evop@bioinf.uni-leipzig.de Katja Nowick (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************WorkshopsCourses******************** Don't miss the opportunity to attend (or send someone in your lab) to MBL's Workshop on Molecular Evolution, the most prestigious workshop serving the field of evolutionary studies. Founded in 1988, it is the longest-running workshop if its kind, and it has earned worldwide recognition for its rich and intensive learning experience. Deadline to apply: January 26, 2026 More information: https://www.mbl.edu/education/advanced-research-training-courses/course-offerings/workshop-molecular-evolution Thanks, Jeremy M. Brown and Claudia Sol?s-Lemus solislemus@wisc.edu (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************WorkshopsCourses******************** Dear all, only a few seats are still available for our upcoming online course "Introduction to Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS)", taking place 26??"30 January. Course website: ( https://www.physalia-courses.org/courses-workshops/course49/ ) This 5-day hands-on course provides a complete and practical introduction to GWAS, guiding participants through the full workflow??"from study design and data preparation to statistical analysis, pipelines, and post-GWAS interpretation??"using R and Linux command-line tools. Designed for students, researchers, and professionals in genetics and related fields, the course combines interactive lectures with extensive practical sessions to ensure you gain skills you can immediately apply to your own data. For the full list of our courses and workshops, please visit: ( https://www.physalia-courses.org/courses-workshops/ ) Best regards, Carlo Carlo Pecoraro, Ph.D Physalia-courses DIRECTOR info@physalia-courses.org mobile: +49 17645230846 ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/physalia-courses-a64418127/ ) info@physalia-courses.org (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************Conferences******************** Dear collegues, Deadline for registration to the DrosEU/D. suzukii meetings is extended to January 30th 2026! It is our pleasure to announce that the 16th DrosEU meeting will be held on April 13-14, followed by a 3-day D. suzukii satellite meeting on April 15-17 2026. The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU) is a collaborative consortium of scientists and laboratories interested in evolutionary genetics and genomics of Drosophila species. Its main objective is to cooperate closely in collecting, generating and analysing genomic and environmental data for several Drosophila populations across the globe. For the next meeting, a special focus will be put on the insect pest Drosophila suzukii: after the general DroEU meeting on April 13- 14 2026, we will organize a 3-day satellite meeting dedicated to D. suzukii on April 15-17 2026. A wide range of topics will be covered during this conference, including: - Population genetics - Molecular Genetics - Host-Microbiota Interactions - Physiology - Ecology and Population Dynamics - Integrated Pest Management. Non DrosEU members are welcome to register to the DrosEU meeting, the D. suzukii meeting or both events. Registration is open until December 19th 2025 via the registration page. Abstract submission is not required for registration to either the DrosEU or the D. suzukii meeting. Online attendance People can select the option to attend the meeting online when registering via the registration page. A Zoom link will be sent the week before the meeting. Please note that abstract submission will only be possible for in-person attendees. To make both meetings accessible to the widest audience,registration is free of charge. *Registration website is now open:https://droseusuz.sciencesconf.org* Both meetings will be held at the Genopolys amphitheater in Montpellier, France. Please note that only titles (but not abstracts) are required for contributed talks for the DrosEU meeting. Registration and title (DrosEU meeting) or abstract (D. suzukii meeting) submission occur in two separate steps: upon acceptance of your registration, you will be able to submit a title/abstract via the "Title/abstract submission" page until January 30th 2026. On behalf of the organizing committee, Svitlana Serga and Nicolas Rode, Svitlana Serga, PhD MSCA Fellow UMR CBGP, INRAE 755 avenue du Campus Agropolis 34980 Montferrier-sur-Lez France Associate Professor, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine Svitlana Serga (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)