SYMBIOMICS · Symbiomics: Molecular Ecology and Evolution of Bacterial Symbionts

Symbiosis research is currently in the midst of a revolution as molecular techniques are leading to major breakthroughs in our understanding of interactions between animals and microbes. There is an emerging recognition that all animals are intimately associated with a complex community of beneficial microbes that are essential for their development, nutrition, and health. Thus, modern symbiosis research has become a newly emerging supra-disciplinary field with novel and innovative methods for examining microbial symbionts, the vast majority of which remain as yet uncultivable. As so often when novel technologies open up new areas of research, training for students lags behind. We propose to close this gap by offering a comprehensive and innovative training in the microbial ecology and evolution of animal symbionts. The proposed ITN Symbiomics will include 14 leading research groups as well as 4 top-tier participants from the private sector to provide 14 early stage researchers (ESRs) and 1 experienced research (ER) with an interdisciplinary and synergistic training. Cutting edge methods in molecular biology and image analysis will be used to analyze a broad range of hosts from protozoan and invertebrate animal groups. Symbiomics will provide training through a combination of local and network-wide activities that will include research, secondments, workshops and courses including soft skills training, networking and meetings, regular thesis committee meetings, and mentoring. By pooling the scientific, technological, and entrepreneurial expertise of the Symbiomics partners, this ITN will provide a synergistic research environment and training that extends far beyond what each partner would be able to offer with local training alone. At the end of their training, the early stage researchers will have the skills they need for successful careers in academia and industry in a broad range of disciplines in the fields of environmental, applied, and medical microbiology.