Research

Magnus Nordborg

Population genetics

Research focus

We try to understand how evolution works, and how it has shaped the world we live in. As Theodosius Dobzhansky famously noted, “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Our research is quantitative, and involves statistical and computational analysis of genomic data in addition to field and bench work. While empirical work focuses on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we also work on other species, including primates.  More details on some of the projects in the lab can be found under the research link to the left, or by clicking here.

Joining the lab

We are always looking for talented new group members. Backgrounds vary widely, from plant molecular biology to statistics, but everyone is expected to be willing to learn to analyze their own data.

Prospective postdocs are expected to have at least one first-author publication in a major international journal. You are expected to be competitive for postdoctoral fellowships and apply for them if eligible (we are happy to help). If you are interested in working with us, please send an e-mail explaining what you are interested in, and why. Please attach a CV and the names of three referees.

Prospective PhD students must apply through either the Vienna BioCenter International PhD Programme or the Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics. You should obviously feel free to contact me directly, but please note that I do not admit students directly into the lab (so sending general inquiries is pointless).

Prospective Diploma students and summer interns should contact me or my Lab Manager directly. Please describe your background, and what you are interested in working on.

Selected publications

Svardal H, Jasinska AJ, Apetrei C et al. (2017) Ancient hybridization and strong adaptation to viruses across African vervet monkey populations. Nat Genet 49(12):1705-13.

Kerdaffrec E, Filiault DL, Korte A, et al. (2016) Multiple alleles at a single locus control seed dormancy in Swedish Arabidopsis. eLife:e22502.

Novikova PY, Hohmann N, Nizhynska V, et al. (2016) Sequencing of the genus Arabidopsis identifies a complex history of nonbifurcating speciation and abundant trans-specific polymorphism. Nat Genet 48(9):1077-82.

The 1001 Genomes Consortium (2016) 1,135 Genomes Reveal the Global Pattern of Polymorphism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Cell 166(2):481-91.

Atwell S, Huang YS, Vilhjálmsson BJ, et al. (2010) Genome-wide association study of 107 phenotypes in Arabidopsis thaliana inbred lines. Nature 465(7298):627-31.