The role of inversions in adaptive divergence of populations

Inversions are chromosomal mutations that “flip” large segments of DNA. Because they can suppress recombination, inversions are thought to play an important role in the evolution of reproductive isolation and hence the final stages of speciation. However, we still don’t fully understand under what conditions inversions are expected to spread within populations. In this project, you will construct mathematical models and/or conduct computer simulations to address this question.

Supervisor: Jan Engelstaedter