Experimental and comparative genomic approaches to the origin and evolution of animal-bacteria interactions

We now realise that bacterial symbionts are essential to the health, ecology and evolution of all animals, so understanding these symbioses is a central aspect of modern zoology.

This project will use experimental molecular and comparative genomic tools to investigate how marine invertebrate animal hosts and bacterial symbionts recognise each other, and the co-evolved nature of their intimate molecular crosstalk.

Supervisor: Associate Professor Sandie Degnan