Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for FY2001

Pritham, Ellen J, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for FY2001. The fellowship supports research and training at the postdoctoral level at the intersection of biology and the informational, computational, mathematical, and statistical sciences. The goal of the fellowship is to provide training to a young scientist in preparation for a career in biological informatics in which research and education will be integrated. There is an increasing need for training in biological informatics at all occupational levels, and it is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce. The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Determining population structure and dynamics of Class II transposable element families in Arabidopsis thaliana, using a coalescence-based population genetic approach." Transposons are major constituents of most eukaryotic genomes that can dramatically alter genomic architecture, individual fitness, and species evolution. Little is known about population dynamics and behavior of transposons. In this research, the availability of complete genome sequence and biological informatics capability provides a novel opportunity to evaluate their impact and the forces that influence their movement.