Mathematical modelling of recombination between gene duplicates

Supervisor: Yao-ban Chan

Available for: PhD

Location: Melbourne Integrative Genomics, University of Melbourne

Project title: Mathematical modelling of recombination between gene duplicates

Background: Recombination is one of the fundamental forces of evolution. Yet, when duplicate genes recombine, the standard representation of genetic evolution - a phylogenetic tree - is inadequate. This multi-disciplinary project aims to understand the biological process of paralog exchange (non-allelic homologous recombination) by developing mathematical models and methods to reconstruct its history, drawing on techniques from diverse mathematical fields. These methods may then be employed to illuminate the role of paralog exchange in the adaptive evolution of genes which enable insecticide resistance.