My projects
Unlocking Collection Treasures: Accessing Museum Samples for Long Read Sequencing and Genomic Analysis
High-quality genomes are an important basis for biological and evolutionary research. However, generating assemblies of high completeness and contiguity requires ideally fresh, flash-frozen samples. The availability of such samples has become a major limitation for biodiversity genomics, in particular for rare or endangered species, or species inhabiting remote regions. On the other hand, museum collections house millions of samples worldwide. In this project, we propose that such museum samples can be used to assemble high-quality genomes in conjunction with the new PacBio HiFi sequencing technology, which generates accurate reads of a few kilobases in length.
Evolutionary history and population structure of Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) in South America
Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) is a xenarthran mammal found throughout Central and South America. There are limited genetic analysis with low number of specimens of this species. Our goal is to use the genomic data (3RADseq and WGS) to perform phylogenetic analyses and characterize population structure of this species. We will investigate four C. didactylus populations: Guyana, Rondônia, Pará and Amapá, aiming to understand the evolutionary history of this species.
Population genomics of spotted hyenas from Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania
We are generating high‐density genomic marker data for the whole population across the study periods to quantify the evolutionary and ecological impact of current environmental change for the hyena population. This project is part of the Hyena Project.
Myanmar Elephant Genome Project
As part of the Myanmar Timber Elephant Project, this project aims to determine the genetic diversity and the relatedness and inbreeding level of elephants from Myanmar population and to investigate the population structure between different camps. We also aim to perform functional and evolutionary analysis of the Asian elephant, looking for ageing and health-related candidate genes.
Read more about this project here:
https://elephant-project.science/
Phylogeography and Hybridization between sea turtles
Hybridization between sea turtle species occurs with particularly high frequency in some populations in Brazil. We have been using state-of-the-art genomic techniques to evaluate the extent of hybridization occurrence, the possible deleterious effects in the hybrid progeny and the consequences for sea turtle conservation. I have been working on this project since 2015, when I started my PhD.
Read more about this project here:
http://izw-berlin.de/hybridization_sea_turtles
