Research Projects III

The third round of integrative projects within the scope of the Adaptive Life programme comprises of nine PhD projects that will start between July and September 2020.

Candidates are invited to apply to one of the following topics, following the application procedure outlined here. Topics are listed in alphabetical order of the 1^st supervisor; you may contact the PIs associated with a topic directly in case you have questions. Please be advised that our PIs receive very many emails and it may take a while before you receive an answer.

How bacteria control the sex of their insect host

PIs: Leo Beukeboom, Bregje Wertheim & Sébastian Lequime
Institute(s): GELIFES

Genetic load in small populations of insects

PIs: Leo Beukeboom, Bregje Wertheim & Per Palsboll
Institute(s): GELIFES

From evolutionary conserved genetic pathways to sociability

PIs: Jean-Christophe Billeter & Martien Kas
Institute(s): GELIFES

Social networks and senescence

PIs: Hannah Dugdale & Martien Kas
Institute(s): GELIFES

Sex differences in the response of fetuses to stressed pregnancy

PIs: Mick Elliot, Jocelien Olivier & Torsten Plösch
Institute(s): GELIFES, UMCG

Healthy soils - Plant-microbe interactions

PIs: Theo Elzenga, Joanna Falcao Salles & Oscar Kuipers
Institute(s): GELIFES, GBB

Identifying the main drivers of fish population decline

PIs: Klemens Eriksson & Per Palsboll
Institute(s): GELIFES

The computational biology of phylogenies

PIs: Rampal Etienne & Marco Grzegorczyk
Institute(s): GELIFES, Bernoulli Institute

Drivers of adaptive diversification in marine host-symbiont systems

PIs: Rampal Etienne & Sancia van der Meij
Institute(s): GELIFES

Linking sociability, sleep and health

PIs: Robbert Havekes & Jean-Christophe Billeter
Institute(s): GELIFES

How sleep links to immune responses in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease

PIs: Robbert Havekes, Uli Eisel & Geert van den Bogaart
Institute(s): GELIFES, GBB

Disorientation of birds migrating in illuminated landscapes

PIs: Barbara Helm & Daniella Vos
Institute(s): GELIFES, FSS-URSI

Understanding hierarchy formation, social tradition, and other social behaviour in groups through computational models of self-organisation and error-driven learning

PIs: Charlotte Hemelrijk & Jacolien van Rij
Institute(s): GELIFES, Bernoulli Institute

The cool brain - How hibernators maintain neuronal integrity

PIs: Roelof Hut, Robbert Havekes & Robert Henning
Institute(s): GELIFES, UMCG

Understanding individual variation in aggressiveness

PIs: Jan Komdeur & Sietse de Boer
Institute(s): GELIFES

Visual adaptation in fish

PIs: Martine Maan, Rampal Etiennem & Marthe Walvoort
Institute(s): GELIFES, Stratingh Institute

Cool coloration - How plants and animals adapt their visual and thermal properties to city life

PIs: Martine Maan, Barbara Helm & Maurine Dietz
Institute(s): GELIFES

Neurobiological consequences of chronically restricted sleep

PIs: Peter Meerlo, Robbert Havekes & Martina Schmidt
Institute(s): GELIFES, GRIP

How sleep patterns and sleep homeostasis are affected by environmental factors and quality

PIs: Peter Meerlo & Simon Verhulst
Institute(s): GELIFES

Comparing environmental stress responses in photosymbiotic organisms to identify adaptations facilitating stress mitigation

PIs: Sancia van der Meij & Ida van der Klei
Institute(s): GELIFES, GBB

How the extinction of large herbivore migration changes ecological interaction networks

PIs: Han Olff & Barbara Helm
Institute(s): GELIFES

The gut-feelings of serotonin - How cross-talk between the gut and brain take place to influence physiology and behavior of the host

PIs: Jocelien Olivier, Joana Falcao Salles & Sahar El Aidy
Institute(s): GELIFES, GBB

Serotonin mediated maternal effects, mechanisms, sensitive period, and long-term behavioral outcomes

PIs: Jocelien Olivier & Ton Groothuis
Institute(s): GELIFES

Mechanism and function of female masculinization in the wild

PIs: Jocelien Olivier, Ton Groothuis & Sietse de Boer
Institute(s): GELIFES

Ecosystem iron retention and recycling in the pelagic phase via top predators

PIs: Per Palsboll, Klemens Eriksson & Rampal Etienne
Institute(s): GELIFES

Towards an eco-evo-devo theory for the evolution of eusociality

PIs: Ido Pen, Leo Beukeboom & Jan Komdeur
Institute(s): GELIFES

Light-pollution and its effects on plant and pollinator biodiversity

PIs: Chris Smit, Barbara Helm & Petra Rudolf
Institute(s): GELIFES, ZIAM

Microbiome-mediated functions of avian preen glands

PIs: Irene Tieleman, & Joana Falcao Salles
Institute(s): GELIFES

Year-round breeding in tropical birds, individual strategies and population level patterns

PIs: Irene Tieleman, Barbara Helm & Bregje Wertheim
Institute(s): GELIFES

The spread of antimicrobial resistance via horizontal gene transfer in infectious microbial communities

PIs: Marjon de Vos, Sander van Doorn & Oscar Kuipers
Institute(s): GELIFES, GBB

DNA-methylation as an epigenetic clock of biological age

PIs: Simon Verhulst, Hannah Dugdale & Per Palsboll
Institute(s): GELIFES

Social determinants of evolvability

PIs: Franjo Weissing, Jan Komdeur & Sander van Doorn
Institute(s): GELIFES

Combating Parkinson’s disease by non-pharmacological interventions

PIs: Eddy van der Zee & Arjan Kortholt
Institute(s): GELIFES, GBB