Michigan State U. LampreyEcotypeGenomics

Description: We seek applications for a PhD assistantship focused
on the genomic basis of parasitic and non-parasitic ecotypes in
Ichthyomyzonlamprey. Nonparasitic lampreys have repeatedly evolved from
parasitic species that feed on the blood of fish hosts. This shift in
life history represents a loss of a complex trait, where nonparasitic
lampreys transition directly from larvae into reproductive adults without
developing the apparatus or appetite for parasitic feeding. The goal of
this project is to understand the genomic and developmental basis of
parasitism versus nonparasitism in the silver lamprey (I. unicuspis)
and northern brook lamprey (I. fossor), two closely related ecotypes
with ongoing gene flow in the Laurentian Great Lakes. The selected
student will lead a collaborative project with two primary components:
1) a common garden study in which full reciprocal crosses of Iu and If
will be raised at the USGS Hammond Bay Biological Station (HBBS;
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/great-lakes-science-center/science/hammond-bay-biological-station)
in Millersburg, MI and sampled for transcriptomic and phenotypic
analysis across key stages of larval development through metamorphosis
into reproductive adults (nonparasitic If) or parasitic juveniles
(Iu); and 2) a population genomics study in which whole genomes
will be sequenced for groups of each species from multiple streams
where they are co-occur. These genomes will then be used to identify
genomic regions that consistently differ between ecotypes. The selected
student will lead all aspects of the project, including lamprey and
sample collection, assessment of reproductive and trophic phenotypes,
transcriptomic and genomic analyses, writing reports, and publishing
results in scientific journals. Support and training will be provided by
the PI (T Buchinger) and co-PIs at MSU (J Hume and Y-W Chung-Davidson),
USGS (N Johnson), University of Manitoba (M Docker), and University of
Glasgow (A Jacobs). The student may also have opportunities to develop
other projects that leverage research facilities at HBBS and the Genomics
and Chemical Ecology Laboratory at MSU (https://www.lilabmsu.com/).

Qualifications: B.Sc. or M.Sc. (preferred) in biology, evolutionary
biology, bioinformatics, genomics, or a related field. Experience or
interest in fieldwork, morphology, and bioinformatics.

Location: Primary location is MSU (East Lansing, MI) with regular
sampling trips (~3 days each) to HBBS (Millersburg, MI), lamprey sampling
throughout the Great Lakes region, and the opportunity for a visit (~3
months) to University of Glasgow (Glasgow, Scotland) to work with Co-PI
Jacobs on analysis of genomics data.

Start date: March-June 2026.

Stipend: ~$35,000/ year; health insurance and tuition waiver. Funding
is expected for 4.5 years.

To Apply: Send a letter of interest including a brief summary
of background and qualifications and a CV to Tyler Buchinger
(buching6@msu.edu).

Review of applications will begin 17 Nov 2025 and continue until the
position is filled.

Tyler Buchinger
Assistant Professor
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Michigan State University
Office: (517) 355-4106
Google Scholar profile

"Buchinger, Tyler" <buching6@msu.edu>

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