Profile
Project Title: Genomic approaches for assessing genetic diversity and demographic histories of bats.
Summary: My PhD research focuses on using population genomics to better understand the genetic diversity and demographic history of bats, with a particular emphasis on how these factors relate to their conservation status. Using newly generated genome datasets from a wide range of bat species, I will investigate genome-wide patterns such as heterozygosity, mutational load, and runs of homozygosity (ROH), and assess how these genomic signatures correspond to ecological traits and IUCN conservation assessments.
Bats are experiencing widespread population declines due to threats such as habitat loss, roost disturbance, and hunting. With the increasing availability of high-quality reference genomes and large-scale sequencing data, there is now a unique opportunity to explore how genetic variation informs our understanding of species' vulnerabilities. However, key questions remain about how genomic patterns reflect actual population trends. For example, some apparently rare species may show clear genetic hallmarks of small populations, while others may simply be poorly sampled.
By combining genomic analyses with demographic inference methods, my project aims to evaluate whether conservation priorities based on ecological observations align with insights from genome-wide data, ultimately contributing to more informed and effective conservation strategies.
Supervisor: