Curriculum Vitae
Education
| seit 2020 | PhD student, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University (Mainz, Germany) |
| 2017 - 2019 | International M.Sc. in Behavioural Ecology and Wildlife Management (BEWM), University of Burgundy (Dijon, France) |
| 2014 - 2017 | B.Sc. in life Science, University of Lorraine (Nancy, France) |
Work Experience
| seit 2020 |
PhD position, Johannes Gutenberg University (Mainz, Germany) Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Susanne FOITZIK and Dr. Barbara FELDMEYER Project: "Genome-wide detection of selection and adaptation in a co-evolving slavemaking ant and its host" |
| 2019 |
Research project, University of Arizona (Tucson, US) Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Anna Dornhaus & Dr. Kenneth J. Chapin Project: "Influence of social communication of conspecific threat on movement patterns in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus" |
| 2018 |
Research project, Institut National de Recherche en Agronomie (Bordeaux France) Supervisor: Dr. Karine Monceau & Dr. Denis Thiéry Project: "Effects of temperature on the social invasive species Vespa velutina's personality" |
| 2016 |
Research project, University of Lorraine (Nancy, France) Supervisor: Dr. Thomas Lecocq & Dr. Dominique Chardard Project: "Arthropod taxonomy and collection" |
Research Interests
I have a profound interest in the evolution of social organization and particularly on how individuals or animal societies evolve with their environment. Having an expertise in behavioural ecology from my past education, I am combining this field to genomics in my PhD project.
PhD project
Coevolution between antagonistic species can drive evolutionary arms races - reciprocal cycles of coadaptation. Recent advances in sequencing technologies allow now to study the molecular basis of evolutionary adaptations on a genomic level in non-model systems. In this project, we focus on a well-studied host-parasite system consisting of the slavemaking ant Temnothorax americanus, an obligate social parasite, and its related host Temnothorax longispinosus, for which ample evidence for coevolution and local adaptation exists. We will use populations of a “natural experiment”, in which host and parasite evolve in sympatry (=coevolve) or allopatry. We propose to study the genetic background of adaptations, the types and strength of selection and whether mainly regulatory regions or protein- coding genes are important for coadaptation. . By analyzing multiple populations under similar selective regimes, we can reveal whether coevolution takes different avenues in different locales or whether it occurs in parallel. Overall, our study will contribute to a better understanding of genetic mechanisms of adaptation during coevolution.
Publications
Stoldt, M., Macit, M.N., Collin, E., Foitzik, S. Molecular (co)evolution of hymenopteran social parasites and their hosts. Current Opinion in Insect Science, in press.