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Understanding the role of metabolism in adaptation & evolution

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Project Description

In an era of rapid environmental change, understanding how species adapt to shifting conditions is critical for conservation biology. At the heart of adaptation lies metabolism, the process that fuels survival, reproduction, and resilience in the face of stress. Mitochondria play a central role here, converting nutrients into energy while relying on the coordinated interaction of genes from both nuclear and mito genomes. The precise coevolution of these genes is essential for metabolic function, particularly under environmental pressures, and disruptions in this balance could impact organisms’ ability to adapt to climate change, resource scarcity, and other stressors.

This project will explore these dynamics by examining how metabolic genes in Drosophila melanogaster respond to critical environmental stressors, namely temperature and diet, which are directly relevant to species’ ability to survive in varying climates. We will focus on wild fly populations from Australia’s east coast, where distinct northern and southern populations exhibit specific adaptations to their local thermal environments. These populations provide a natural model to investigate how genetic compatibility affects thermal resilience, with implications for understanding similar processes in at-risk species.

Through this work, you will gain valuable skills in conservation genetics, ecological phenotyping, and stress physiology—helping to bridge molecular biology and real-world conservation applications.

Research themes
Project Specific Training

Depending on the interest of the student, the lab can accommodate a wide range of training. This ranges from analyses of next-generation sequencing (DNA & RNA), to biochemical assays (fine-scale respirometry), to high-throughput experimental design. All training will be performed on a 1-to-1 basis, as the lab has all the above expertise.
In addition, this project involves close collaboration with Monash University (Australia), where the student can spend some time training in another lab and performing fly collections. 

Potential Career Trajectory

This PhD project equips students with expertise for careers in academia, conservation policy, and applied research. Graduates could pursue roles as postdoctoral researchers, faculty, or PIs in evolutionary biology and conservation genetics. Government and NGOs also seek PhDs as policy advisors, program directors, and conservation scientists to drive biodiversity protection efforts. In industry, roles include environmental consulting and biotechnology research where insights on genetic adaptation are applied to sustainability challenges. Additionally, PhD holders could excel in science communication, public education, or advisory roles, translating conservation science to broader audiences and informing global biodiversity strategies.

Project supervisor/s
Florencia Camus
Genetics, Evolution & Environment
UCL
f.camus@ucl.ac.uk
Nick Lane
Genetics, Evolution & Environment
UCL
nick.lane@ucl.ac.uk
Supervision balance
60:40