12th December, 2016: PhD positions
The new DFG-funded Research Training Group “Evolutionary Processes in Adaptation and Disease” (EvoPAD, GRK 2220) at the University of Münster is now offering 12 PhD possitions in Biology, Medicine, and Philosophy. Application deadline is January 8th, 2017.
For more information on how to apply and available projects please visit the EvoPAD homepage or the EvoPAD application page.
16th November, 2016: DFG funds new Research Training Group
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted the WWU funding for a Research Training Group on „Evolutionary Processes in Adaptation and Disease (EvoPAD)”. PhD students within EvoPAD will use knowledge derived from the theory of evolution to achieve a deeper understanding of the processes that are underlying adaptation and disease. They will be mentored by 17 scientists from the Faculty of Biology, the Medical Faculty, and the Department of Philosophy – 15 of whom are also Principle Investigators of the MGSE. EvoPAD is one of 20 new Research Training Groups funded by the DFG which offer PhD students the chance to complete their theses in a structured research and qualification programme at a high academic level. The project will be funded for a period of 4.5 years starting from April 2017 with almost 4 Million Euros. Press release by the DFG Press release by the WWU
10th November, 2016: Evolution and Medicine Symposium in Berlin
In the course of the "Interdisciplinary Dialogue" series of symposia featured by the IRI Life Sciences there will be a symposium on "The Evolution of Medicine to Evolutionary Medicine" November 10th in Berlin. Among other invited speakers, Joachim Kurtz will give a talk titled "Host-parasite coevolution in the light of evolutionary medicine".The symposium is free and open to the public but registration is required. For more information, click here.
31th October, 2016: New Review
A new review on Immune Memory in Invertebrates by Milutinovic & Kurtz is now available online. Click here for details. The article is free until Sept. 25th without an active subscription to the Journal "Seminars in Immunology".
25th October, 2016: Group Retreat
The Kurtz group spent three days in Carolinensiel to discuss science and enjoy the North Sea.
23th October, 2016: BSc
On 23rd of August our bachelor students Jan Berghöfer, Marvin Cassens, Anna Hübenthal, Nadja Raifarth, Tatjana Ried and Yvonne Wesseler successfully passed their BSc defences.
1st October, 2016: Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Joachim Kurtz will visit and give a talk at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, USA, where the former group member, Dr. Robert Peuß, is currently staying as a postdoc.
28th September, 2016: New Publication
The new "Zoology" special issue on host-parasite coevolution (Volume 119, Issue 4) edited by Joachim Kurtz, Hinrich Schulenburg and Thorsten B.H. Reusch is now online available. Click here for details. All articles are open access.
09th September, 2016: DZG Annual Meeting and iBeetle workshop, Kiel
Monika Trienens, Nora Schulz, Pauline Sell and Jörn Scharsack will present their research at the 109th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society in Kiel.
09th September, 2016: ICE 2016, Orlando, Florida, USA
Joachim Kurtz, Rasha Aboelsoud and Sophie Armitage will present their research on the XXV. International Congress of Entomology (ICE) in Florida, USA (http://ice2016orlando.org).
08th September, 2016: Collaboration with University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
As the vice dean for structure and international affairs of the Faculty of Biology, Joachim Kurtz spent a week in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in particular to prepare a planned MSc double degree programme with the University of Sao Paulo (USP), Biomedical Sciences Institute ICB.
08th July, 2016: New Publication
A new paper titled "The effect of diet and time after bacterial infection on fecundity, resistance, and tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster" by Kutzer & Armitage was recently published in "Ecology and Evolution". It is now available online. Click here for details.
02th July, 2016: Collaboration with University of Padua, Italy
Joachim Kurtz spent a month as a visiting scientist at the University of Padua, Italy, to work with Prof. Loriano Ballarin on the evolution of immune priming and allorecognition, in particular in the ascidian Botryllus.
17th June, 2016: PhD
Robert Peuß successfully defended his PhD-thesis. Congratulations from the entire group Dr. Peuß!
2016: PhD
Momir Futo successfully defended his PhD-thesis. Congratulations from the entire group Dr. Futo!
18th November, 2015: New Publication
A new publication by the Kurtz group shows that red flour beetles react with an immune activation and the release of cryptic genetic variation through reduced expression of heat shock protein 90 when there are wounded conspecifics in the group. Click here for details. The article has also been covered by the american magazine 'The Atlantic' .
February, 2015: Master thesis offer
Wir suchen motivierte Master-Studierende, die ihre MSc-Arbeit im Bereich der Wirt-Parasit-Coevolution an den Modellarten Mehlkäfer (Tribolium castaneum) und/oder Fruchtfliege (Drosophila melanogaster) durchführen möchten.
15th February, 2015: PhD
Hendrik Eggert defended his PhD on Trans-generational Immune Priming in the Red Flour Beetle. Publications resulting from this work can be found at Publications. Congratulations and good luck, Henne!
20th Mai, 2014: PhD
After defending her PhD on 20.5.2014, Barbara Milutinovic will leave Münster and work as a Postdoc in the group of Sylvia Cremer at the IST (Austria).
13th December, 2013: PhD
After defending her doctoral thesis on 6.12.2013, Janine Büscher (nee Dittmar) received her PhD on 13.12.2014. Congratulations!
24th November, 2013: Publications
Several new publications by Barbara Milutinovic, Fred Franke and Jörn Scharsack were recently released and are now listed at Publications. Congratulations to all authors!
November, 2013: New Homepage
Welcome to the new homepage of the Animal Evolutionary Ecology Group at the Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster.
7 June 2013: The annual symposium of the MGSE will take place next week June, 12 & 13. [Offical press release]
31 May 2013 - New Publication in PLoS One by Barbara Milutonovic et al., The Red Flour Beetle as a Model for Bacterial Oral Infections
10 July, 2012 - SPP 1399 Host-Parasite Coevolution: DFG decides to fund the programme for another three years. [press realease] [SPP1399 website]
18 & 19 June 2012 - 2nd annual Münster Graduate School of Evolution Symposium [press release][programme] [announcing press release]
15 June 2012 - The DFG and Wissenschaftsrat has made the decision not to fund MGSEI through the excellence initiative. The University of Münster was successful with both its cluster proposals. We congratulate our colleagues for their success! Of course, we will continue our efforts to secure funding for MGSE. [press release]
26.08.2011 - The proposal for the "Münster Graduate School of Evolution" (MGSE) was submitted. The decisions are expected in June 2012.
02.03.2011 - The draft proposal of the „Münster Graduate School of Evolution“ was approved by the DFG and WR. We are now asked to submit a full proposal by 1 Sept. 2011 [WWU press release] [more information]
17.-18.02.2011 - An interdisciplinary Symposium of the „Münster Graduate School of Evolution“-Initiative is taking place at the IEB. Graduate students working on diverse aspects of evolution present their research; lectures by Thomas Junker [WWU press release] and Sudhir Kumar [WWU press release] are open to the public. [more information]
14.01.2011 - The IEB in Münster hosted the second Bacillus Cluster Workshop within the DFG Priority Programme "Host Parasite Coevolution", 13th - 14th January 2011. [Link]
01.12.2010 - The Bioinformatics Workshop of the SPP was held from 1st-3rd December 2010 at Landhaus Rothenberge. [Link]
24.09.2010 - The animal evolutionary ecology group went on a two-day group retreat. Scientific discussions and recreation activities took place on Hiddensee. [Fotos]
01.09.2010 - Members of the IEB are involved in draft proposals for a graduate school and a cluster of excellence in the context of the excellence initiative. In particular, a proposal for a Münster Graduate School of Evolution, coordinated by Joachim Kurtz, aims to establish structures for interdisciplinary graduate student training. It will address a broad range of questions, from the evolution of Earth to the evolution of evolutionary theory. [link] [abstract]
30.06.2010 - The IEB in Münster hosted the first Bacillus Cluster Workshop within the DFG Priority Programme "Host Parasite Coevolution", 28th - 30th June 2010. [Link]
27.02.2010 - Members of IEB together with colleagues from Kiel organised a Symposium and Workshop within the DFG Priority Programme ‘Host Parasite Coevolution’, 24th – 27th Feb. 2010. [Link]
27.10.2009 - Flour beetle males provide offspring with immune protection. [press release Münster University]
07.07.2009 - IEB researchers give sticklebacks a new home. [press release Münster University]
02.03.2009 - The IEB and the DFG are organising the Grant Application Colloquium of the DFG Priority Program ‘Host Parasite Coevolution’, 30th – 31st March 2009. [Link to the Colloquium webpage]
12.02.2009 - The "Westfälische Nachrichten"report about the IEB on the occasion of Darwins 200th birthday. Prof. Dr. Joachim Kurtz was interviewed about "Evolution in action".
15.01.2009 - The IEB is organising the First Status Symposium of the Volkswagen Foundation Evolutionary Biology Initiative, 25th - 27th February, 2009.