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 work on all kinds of organisms.  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 students and postdocs should write me directly, explaining what you are interested in, and why. Please attach a CV. 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).

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

Gutzat R, Rembart K, Nussbaumer T, et al. (2020) Arabidopsis shoot stem cells display dynamic transcription and DNA methylation patterns. EMBO J 39(20):e103667 preprint bioRxiv:430447.

Burns R, Mandakova T, Gunis J, et al. (2021) Gradual evolution of allopolyploidy in Arabidopsis suecica. Nat Ecol Evol [epub] preprint bioRxiv:264432.

Filiault D, Ballerini ES, Mandakova T, et al. (2018) The Aquilegia genome provides insight into adaptive radiation and reveals an extraordinarily polymorphic chromosome with a unique history. eLife:36426 preprint: bioRxiv:264101.

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.

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.