Deadline: January 8th 2026

Project description:

​Selfish X chromosomes are a fascinating form of ‘unfair’ mendelian genetics. Males bearing a selfish X can sire only female offspring as Y-bearing sperm are destroyed during spermatogenesis by the selfish X, suggested to be through the action of toxin/antitoxin-like systems. This biology is found in flies and rodents, and likely exists in other taxa that are less easily studied. Population genetics research has focused primarily on selfish X fecundity effects, alongside roles for selfish chromosomes in driving speciation. However, these chromosomes commonly bear multiple inversions to suppress recombination, maintaining genetic linkage of toxin/antitoxin-like systems. As a result, these chromosomes accumulate deleterious mutations that are unaccounted for in existing gene drive models. The student will investigate various stress parameters to reveal cryptic consequences of the selfish chromosome of Drosophila testacea, chosen for its newly-described genetic tools allowing individuals to be genotyped by eye. Key findings will be tested in additional species. The student will influence developing research directions based on initial screens. The student will learn gene-editing, molecular biology, microbiology, and population genetics modelling. The supervisory team includes experts in infection and stress responses, reproductive biology, and population genetics, providing the student the opportunity to develop expertise in key disciplines.