Thomas Sakoparnig
Bio:
Since Oct 2014: Postdoctoral fellow in Erik van Nimwegen’s lab at Biozentrum of University of Basel
2010 – 2014: PhD in Computational Biology at ETH Zurich, Switzerland (with Prof. Niko Beerenwinkel)
2009 – 2010: MSc in Bioinformatics at King’s College London, UK
2006 – 2009: BSc in Biomedical Informatics at UMIT Tirol, Austria
Current project:
Evolution of natural E. coli isolates
Deep sequencing of wild procaryote populations allows the characterization of their naturally occuring genetic diversity. Models from population genetics based on asexual evolution as well as sexual evolution however fail to predict the observed SNP patterns. We aim to identify models for evolution which capture the SNP patterns observed in a library of natural E. coli isolates. Novel summary statistics of SNP patterns are combined with mathematical models and simulation studies of an array of models with various intermediate degrees of sexual evolution. A fundamental understanding of evolutionary models leading to complex SNP patterns will be instrumental in understanding prokaryotic evolution outside the lab dish.
