31 March 2021

First of its Kind PhD Course on Hologenomics

PhD Course

A brand new PhD course on hologenomics will be offered for students through the GLOBE Institute this spring. The course provides the participants with practical experience in designing all aspects of a hologenomics project and offers solid theoretical and technical background to this novel research field. The course is hosted by the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics.

Illustration of holo omics
From Hologenomic to Holo-Omic: (A) Simplified visualization of the hologenomic domain. (B) Host-microbiota interactions within the holo-omic domain here exemplified by zooming in on the luminal surface of the host intestine.

Applying a hologenomic perspective to ongoing or upcoming research projects will now be made more accessible thanks to this first of its kind PhD course “Introduction to Hologenomics,” directed by Antton Alberdi and Morten T. Limborg, both PI’s and Associate Professors at the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics. Having huge applied potential by shedding light on the interplay between host and microbiome, applying a hologenomic perspective to research projects can provide novel insights to traditional biological research questions. The course begins on May 25th, and the deadline to apply is April 23rd.

“This is a course where we wish to introduce the new research field of hologenomics. In hologenomics we use traditional molecular methods to address traditional problems in biology through a new holistic window which focuses on the interaction between microbiome and hosts,” says Morten T. Limborg. “The focus will therefore be to think, discuss and develop new project ideas in order to help the participants to use hologenomics in their own field of research.”

Reciprocal interactions between host and microbiota

The holistic perspective of hologenomics is important to better understand how the bidirectional interactions between host organisms and their associated microbiota can shape the phenotypes of complex organisms. Therefore, students will learn to work with key concepts such as holobionts, host-microbe interactions, multi-omics and evolutionary adaptations throughout the PhD course.

The “Introduction to Hologenomics” course is relevant to PhD students from a broad range of biological, health and life sciences that have an interest in understanding the functional and evolutionary aspects of host-microbiota interactions. Throughout the PhD course, group work will focus on designing all aspects of a real hologenomics project including experimental design, labwork, bioinformatics and statistics. 

The course takes place from May 25th to June 6th. To read more and sign up.