Diversity and Structural Variation in Genomes of Terrestrial Cyanobacteria
Are you interested in microbial evolution, genomics, and the adaptation of organisms to extreme environments? Join the research team of Assoc. Prof. Petr Dvořák, Ph.D. and contribute to the study of genomic diversity in terrestrial cyanobacteria using modern sequencing and bioinformatic approaches.
Understanding the genomic mechanisms that drive microbial adaptation and diversification in extreme
environments remains a fundamental challenge in evolutionary biology. This dissertation will investigate
genomic diversity and structural variation in terrestrial cyanobacteria, focusing on the filamentous genus
Microcoleus, an ecologically important crust-forming cyanobacterium that inhabits hot and cold drylands. The research will employ comprehensive sampling strategies to establish a collection of unialgal strains from diverse geographical locations including hot and cold deserts. The strains will be sequenced using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore technologies. The study will examine patterns of structural variation across populations and environmental gradients, including analysis of pangenome architecture, while phylogenomic approaches will reconstruct population structure and evolutionary relationships. This will improve our understanding of the influence of environmental variables such as temperature, UV radiation, and precipitation on genomic diversity, addressing fundamental questions about how environmental pressures shape genome architecture in prokaryotes.
Place: Cyanobacterial Evolution Research Lab, Department of Botany, Palacký University Olomouc. The laboratory is focused on the evolution and taxonomy of cyanobacteria and algae. We established a wide
network of collaborations in Europe and the USA (University of North Florida, USA; University of Florida, USA; Stockholm University, Sweden; Natural History Museum London, UK etc.).
Supervisor: doc. Mgr. Petr Dvořák, Ph.D., Department of Botany, Palacký University Olomouc
Consultant: Mgr. Svatopluk Skoupý, Ph.D., Department of Botany, Palacký University Olomouc
Contact
tel: 585 634 080, email: p.dvorak@upol.cz
https://www.prf.upol.cz/bot/
https://sites.google.com/view/cyanopal/
Start: September 2026