GRK 2501:  Translational Evolutionary Research

• Subject Area: Zoology ; Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
• Term: since 2020
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 400993799

Evolution is the central theory of the life sciences. The core idea of the proposed RTG is tostudy and promote its key relevance to applied problems of societal concern. Unintendedoutcomes of human intervention often result from actions that influence natural selection. Forexample, the usage of antibiotics or anti-cancer drugs in medicine, of pesticides in agriculture, or human perturbation of the earth’s ecosystems directly change natural selection and thereby affect the evolution of organisms. Therefore, the development of sustainable solutions to suchemerging challenges can only be achieved by explicit consideration of the influencedevolutionary processes. Yet, to date, the translation of evolutionary concepts to appliedproblems is only rarely attempted. In turn, the required experimental tests in these areas havethe potential to further advance evolutionary theory – to the mutual benefit of translational andbasic research. Thus, the overarching aim of the proposed RTG TransEvo is to train two maincompetences among the doctoral candidates: On the one hand, the use of knowledge andconcepts from fundamental research in evolutionary biology in order to enhance ourunderstanding of current challenges in applied fields and, on the other hand, the use of thenovel insights obtained in order to enrich our understanding of evolution. The RTG TransEvowill promote the translation of evolutionary thinking into three applied fields: (i) medicine, (ii) food production, and (iii) wildlife conservation. Although evolutionary theory is occasionally considered for applied problems, this is usually done independently in the distinct applied fields, often using different approaches and concepts – in spite of similar underlying selection processes. The RTG TransEvo specifically brings together these common concepts, in order to achieve added insights into the applied challenges. The proposed training of doctoral candidates is explicitly interdisciplinary and organized in tandem projects. Each of These consists of two sub-projects that address a related problem, yet use distinct albeitcomplementary research approaches, directly generating potential for synergistic interactions.The different tandem projects are interconnected at various levels, which will aid theestablishment of a stimulating, interdisciplinary research network for the doctoral candidates.The doctoral training further includes a structured programme with several complementaryelements, such as initial rotations, a monthly TransEvo Core Seminar, various science and softskill courses, yearly retreats and workshops. The RTG TransEvo also provides specific trainingfor young postdocs, directly after their doctorate, representing a career group that is commonlyneglected by the available educational programmes. The offered training will help them acquirethe necessary leadership and management skills on their path to scientific independence.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
• Participating Institution: Forschungszentrum Borstel; Leibniz Lungenzentrum; GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel; Max Rubner-Institut; Bundesforschungsinstitut für Ernährung und Lebensmittel; Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionsbiologie
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Hinrich Schulenburg
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. John F. Baines; Professorin Dr. Tal Dagan; Privatdozent Dr. Charles M.A.P. Franz; Professorin Dr. Eva Holtgrewe-Stukenbrock, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Christian Jung; Professorin Dr. Almut Nebel; Professor Dr. Stefan Niemann; Professor Dr. Martin F. Quaas; Professor Dr. Thorsten Reusch, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Olivia Roth; Professorin Dr. Susanne Sebens; Professor Dr. Arne Traulsen; Dr. Hildegard Uecker