Projects

Click on the link to learn more about the projects. The classifications of the projects (Forschungsmodul, summerschool, BSc-thesis and MSc-thesis) are suggestive. If a project interests you for a Forschungsmodul but has a MSc-thesis classification, you are still strongly encouraged to contact the relevant supervisor to discuss the project.

Open Projects

Ongoing Projects

Previous Projects

  • Improve a de novo TE library
    • Supervisor: Marie Lebherz
    • Project type: FM
  • In silico selection and directed evolution of bioactive de novo emerged proteins
    • Supervisor: Lars Eicholt
    • Project type: BA/FM/MA
  • Purification of putative de novo proteins from inclusion bodies
    • Supervisor: Andreas Lange
    • Project type: FM
  • Ancestral reconstruction – Characterization of ancestral proteins of a possible de novo protein from Homo sapiens
    • Supervisor: Andreas Lange
    • Project type: BA/FM
  • Genome assembly of Drosophila melanogaster
    • Supervisor: Anna Grandchamp
    • Project type: FoM/BSc/MSc
  • Studying the way of emergence of the de novo genes in Drosophila melanogaster
    • Supervisor: Anna Grandchamp
    • Project type: FoM/BSc/MSc
  • Chemosensory genes and mate perception in the viviparous cockroach /Diploptera punctata/
    • Supervisor: Bertrand Fouks
    • Project type: FoM / BSc
  • Regulation of Gene Expression & Transposable Elements
    • Supervisor: Bertrand Fouks
    • Project type: FM
  • Sociality Impact on Genome Evolution
    • Supervisor: Bertrand Fouks
    • Project type: FM/ BSc/ MSc-thesis
  • Transposable Elements families & Functional Categories
    • Supervisor: Bertrand Fouks
    • Project type: FM
  • Sequencing Techniques & the Discovery of Transposable Elements
    • Supervisor: Bertrand Fouks
    • Project type: FM/ BSc/ MSc-thesis
  • Purification and analysis (in vitro & in silico) of putative de novo proteins
    • Supervisor: Lars Eicholt
    • Project type: BA/FM/MA
  • Expression, purification, analysis of putative de novo proteins
    • Supervisor: Margaux Aubel & Lars Eicholt
    • Project type: BA/FM/MA
  • Role of phase separation in the activity of de novo proteins
    • Supervisor: Lars Eicholt
    • Project type: BA/FM
  • Using AlphaFold2 to identify promising de novo protein candidates
    • Supervisor: Lars Eicholt
    • Project type: MA
  • Improving RADIANT
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: BSc/Msc-thesis
  • Implementing porthoDom
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: BSc
  • Genome annotation of slave-maker ants and their hosts for comparative analyses
    • Supervisor: Alice Séguret
    • Project type: MSc thesis
  • Development of a high-throughput assay to identify possible foldable de novo proteins
    • Supervisor: Margaux Aubel & Lars Eicholt
    • Project type: BA/FM
  • Chaperones – The holy grail for soluble expression of de novo proteins from D. melanogaster in E.coli? (lab-based)
    • Supervisor: Andreas Lange
    • Project type: FM/BSc/MSc-thesis (students welcome)
  • Adaptive Laboratory Evolution: Mapping Epistatic Mutations Within Ancestral Sulfatases
    • Supervisor: Berndjan Eenink
    • Project type: FoM/BSc-thesis
  • Adaptive Laboratory Evolution: Disentangling and Combining Mutations to Reveal Epistatic Effects
    • Supervisor: Bert van Loo
    • Project type: FoM/BSc/MSc-thesis
  • Identifying the transcriptional regulators of two insulin peptides, important in the development of termite queens.
    • Supervisor: Mark Harrison/Alice Séguret
    • Project type: FM/BSc/MSc-thesis
  • Does methylation target transposable elements in the termite Macrotermes natalensis?
    • Supervisor: Alice Séguret/Mark Harrison
    • Project type: FM
  • The evolution of gene network properties during slavemaker evolution
    • Supervisor: Alice Séguret
    • Project type: FM
  • The potential role of repeats in the evolution of slave-making
    • Supervisor: Alice Séguret
    • Project type: FM
  • Immunity gene family evolution in the European Beewolf
    • Supervisor: Evelien Jongepier
    • Project type: MSc project
  • Historical Enzyme Evolution: Emergence of Sulfatases in the Metallo-β-Lactamase Superfamily
    • Supervisor: Bert van Loo
    • Project type: FoM/BSc/MSc-thesis
  • Reading frame extension as potential domain emergence mechanism
    • Supervisors: Andreas Lange/Brennen Haemes
    • Project type: MSc-thesis
  • Evolution of RNA structure.
    • Supervisor: Jasmin Kurafeiski
    • Project type: FM/BSc/MSc
  • Effects of Epistasis on Transcription Factor Binding
    • Supervisor: Jasmin Kurafeiski
    • Project type: Summer School Project
  • Comparative analysis of chemoreceptors in cockroaches
    • Supervisor: Mark Harrison
    • Project type: MSc-thesis
  • Inference of C- and N-terminus protein extensions
    • Supervisor: April Kleppe
    • Project type: BSc-thesis
  • Evolution-Inspired Protein Engineering and Design: Learning from the Evolutionary History of Haloalcohol Dehalogenases?Comparative analysis of chemoreceptors in cockroaches
    • Supervisor: Bert van Loo
    • Project type: BSc-thesis
  • Evolution-Inspired Protein Engineering and Design: the Effect of Selection Pressure on Secondary Activities
    • Supervisor: Bert van Loo
    • Project type: FoM/BSc/MSc-thesis
  • Investigating proto-genic ORFs
    • Supervisor: Brennen Heames
    • Project type: Forschungsmodul
  • Creating a Benchmark for RADS
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: BSc-thesis
  • Fast domain annotation
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: Forschungsmodul
  • New Proteins out of Thin Air?
    • Supervisor: Jonathan Schmitz
    • Project type: BSc-thesis
  • Evolutionary rate of novel genes
    • Supervisor: Jonathan Schmitz
    • Project type: Forschungsmodul
  • Evolution-Inspired Protein Engineering and Design: Learning from the Evolutionary History of Haloalkane Dehalogenases?
    • Supervisor: Bert van Loo
    • Project type: BSc-thesis
  • Identifying regulatory elements associated with de novo genes
    • Supervisor: Brennen Heames
    • Project type: Summer School Project
  • Genomic adaptations in the Wolbachia endosymbiont of the European beewolf
    • Supervisor: Evelien Jongepier
    • Project type: Forschungsmodule
  • The genomics of enemy recognition in the slaves of slavemaker ants
    • Supervisor: Evelien Jongepier
    • Project type: MSc
  • Domain-Exon Overlap
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: Forschungsmodule
  • Partial Domain inclusion into Dogma
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: Forschungsmodule
  • Are de novo genes real? Characterization of possible de novo drosophila genes (lab-based)
    • Supervisor: Andreas Lange
    • Project type: FM/BSc/MSc-thesis
  • Finding de novo genes in human populations
    • Supervisor: Daniel Dowling
    • Project type: Forschungsmodule
  • Testing the evolutionary theory of ageing on eusocial insects
    • Supervisor: Mark Harrison
    • Project type: FM/MSc-thesis
  • Atlas – a de novo gene important for spermatogenesis in male Drosophila melanogaster? (lab-based)
    • Supervisor: Andreas Lange
    • Project type: FM/BSc
  • Conservation analysis of protein domain arrangements
    • Supervisor: Carsten Kemena
    • Project type: FM