Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in BIological Informatics for FY 2006

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for FY 2006. The fellowship supports research and training at the postdoctoral level at the intersection of biology and the informational, computational, mathematical, and statistical sciences. The goal of the fellowship is to provide training to a young scientist in preparation for a career in biological informatics in which research and education will be integrated. There is an increasing need for training in biological informatics at all occupational levels, and it is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training the future workforce.The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Using functional genomics to study decline of amphibians." This is an integrative study of global amphibian declines combining new and existing data in both model and natural systems. It uses gene expression patterns in an emerging fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and two amphibian hosts (Xenopus tropicalis and Rana muscosa), draws on available whole genome sequence data, generates new functional data and develops novel analytical tools to better understand the devastating impact of fungal infections on amphibian populations.The core aim of the research program is to understand the genetics of vertebrate evolution in the wild. The training provides the Fellow with tools to access the genomes of the study organisms at a fundamentally larger scale her earlier research, develops her computation skills, and gives her experience working with collaborators in diverse fields. The end result is to bridge the gap between functional genomics and organismal biology and to apply genomic data to evolutionary questions in natural systems.