RNA viruses are the fastest-evolving protein-coding organisms. The diversity of these viruses is immense and is continually expanded through metagenomic research. However, studies characterising newly discovered RNA viruses in detail are still lacking. The aim of this project is to identify the most globally prevalent RNA viruses, search for them in public sequence databases, and, where possible, perform their sequencing in Lithuania and elsewhere in the world. The obtained data would be integrated with sequencing data from other groups, collected from public sequence databases, and analysed using phylogenetic methods typically seen in genomic epidemiology studies to better understand the factors driving the evolution and ecology of these viruses.
Ideal candidates should be familiar with sequencing library preparation in the laboratory, the processing of sequencing data, programming in Python or R, and performing phylogenetic analyses. Since this project involves diverse and not entirely overlapping skill sets, suitable candidates may possess either laboratory or computational expertise, with the missing skills to be acquired during the course of the PhD.
Mokslinis vadovas / supervisor: dr. Gytis Dudas
Kontaktai / Contacts:
tel. / phone: +370 656 36243
Programme: Biology N 010