Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology for FY 2009

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009 and supports a research and training plan entitled "Developing a model to guide selection of genes to determine evolutionary relationships among species" for Rachel S. Schwartz. The host institution for this research is Colorado State University under the sponsorship of Rachel Mueller.The evolutionary relationships among species are an important basis for research in biology. One way to determine such relationships is by examining differences in a gene within a group of species as species that are most closely related generally have the fewest differences. Some genes are more useful than others for estimating such relationships. For example, some genes evolve so slowly that they are identical for whole groups of closely related species; other genes evolve so quickly that they are so different for distantly related species we cannot determine who is most closely related. Similarly, some genes are so short that they do not contain enough information to identify close relationships. This research is identifying genes that will be useful for determining evolutionary relationships among species by simulating genetic data to determine the characteristics of genes that will be useful for this purpose. Scientific training objectives include gaining expertise in phylogenetics, bioinformatics, and computational methods. Professional training objectives include developing a research program spanning evolution from the population to the species level and developing skills in mentoring and teaching students.This research will contribute to correctly determining evolutionary relationships of numerous species.