Conservation genomics of the northern elephant seal
Stephen Gaughran, Professor
Integrative Biology
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed for this project.
Northern elephant seals are now a common sight along the California coast. These hundreds of thousands of seals, however, all descend from just a handful of individuals that survived human hunting about 150 years ago. The remarkable recovery of the northern elephant seal makes it a classic conservation success story. At the same time, there are many unanswered questions about how the species was able to recover so quickly and what such a severe population bottleneck will mean for the long-term viability of this species. Using genome data from hundreds of modern and historic northern elephant seals, students will explore questions relating to the evolutionary history and genetic health of the species.
Role: Students will be trained in analyzing population genomic data, from curating raw sequence data to inferring evolutionary history from genotypes. Students will choose a conservation genetic question that interests them (e.g., population structure, demographic history, adaptive potential, genetic health, population viability) and spend the semester analyzing data to answer that question. Some of the work will be self-guided, including an initial stage of background reading and exploring the data through command-line software. However, students will meet regularly with the PI to discuss progress, get help with computational troubleshooting, and share ideas for next steps.
Qualifications: Experience working with genetic data is not required, but competitive applicants will have some experience coding in either python or R. Prior coursework that covered population genetics would be helpful, but is not necessary for motivated students who are interested in reading background literature on the subject.
Hours: to be negotiated
Biological & Health Sciences