Two open PhD positions

From the 1st October 2017 I will be at the Freie Universität in Berlin, which is where the PhD positions will be based. Please follow this link for details

Dr. Sophie Armitage

Dr. Sophie Armitage

Hüfferstr. 1, room 110
48149 Münster

Academic Profile:

  • Research Foci

    • Host parasite interactions
    • The role of the Dscam (Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule) gene in insect immunity
    • Host resistance and tolerance towards bacteria

  • CV

    Academic Education

    PhD, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK
    BSc Zoology, 1st class (Hons), University of Sheffield, UK

    Positions

    Junior group leader / Volkswagen Foundation Advanced Postdoc Fellowship, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster
    Volkswagen Foundation Postdoc Fellowship, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster
    Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
    Carlsberg Foundation Individual Postdoc grant, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
    Postdoc, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

  • Projects

    • SPP 1399 - Teilprojekt: Host Immune Strategies: Remembering, Resisting, Tolerating, and Being Specific ( – )
      Subproject in DFG-Joint Project Hosted at the University of Münster: DFG - Priority Programme | Project Number: AR 872/1-1
    • The evolution of alternative splicing in Dscam: from genotype to immune phenotype (extension) ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: VolkswagenStiftung | Project Number: 86 020

  • Publications

    • , and . . “Dissecting the dynamics of trans-generational immune priming.” Molecular Ecology, № 26 (15): 3857–3859. doi: 10.1111/mec.14190.
    • , , , , , and . . “Dscam1 in pancrustacean immunity: Current status and a look to the future.” Frontiers in immunology, № 8 doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00662.
    • , , , , and . . “Environmental temperature variation influences fitness trade-offs and tolerance in a fish-tapeworm association.” Parasites & Vectors, № 10 doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2192-7.
    • , , , , and . . “Cuticular colour reflects underlying architecture and is affected by a limiting resource.” Journal of Insect Physiology, № 98: 7–13. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2016.11.005.

    • , , , and . . “Slowing them down will make them lose: a role for attine ant crop fungus in defending pupae against infections?” Journal of Animal Ecology, № 85: 1210–1221. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12543.
    • , and . . “Maximising fitness in the face of parasites: a review of host tolerance.” Zoology, № 119: 281–289. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2016.05.011.
    • , and . . “The effect of diet and time after bacterial infection on fecundity, resistance, and tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster.” Ecology and Evolution, № 6: 4229–4242. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2185.
    • , and . . “The immune-related roles and the evolutionary history of Dscam in arthropods.” in The evolution of the immune system: Conservation and diversification, edited by D Malagoli.
    • , , , et al. . “Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule 1: testing for a role in insect immunity, behaviour and reproduction.” Royal Society Open Science, № 3 (4): 160138.
    • , , and . . “Microbiota plays a role in oral immune priming in Tribolium castaneum.” Frontiers in Microbiology, № 6 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01383.

    • , , , and . . “Downregulation of the evolutionary capacitor Hsp90 is mediated by social cues.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, № 282 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2041.
    • , , and . . “Dscam and pancrustacean immune memory - A review of the evidence.” Developmental and Comparative Immunology, № 48 doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2014.03.004.

    • , , , , , and . . “Quantitative profiling of Drosophila melanogaster Dscam1 isoforms reveals no changes in splicing after bacterial exposure.” PloS one, № 9 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108660.

    • , , , , and . . “The red flour beetle as a model for bacterial oral infections.” PloS one, № 8 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064638.

    • , , , and . . “An evaluation of the possible adaptive function of fungal brood covering by attine ants.” Evolution, № 66 (6): 1966–1975. doi: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01568.x.
    • , , , and . . “The evolution of Dscam genes across the arthropods.” BMC Evolutionary Biology, № 12: 53. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-53.

    • , , , , and . . “Immune defense in leaf-cutting ants: A cross-fostering approach.” Evolution, № 65 doi: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01241.x.
    • , , and . . “Outdoor immunology: methodological considerations for ecologists.” Functional Ecology, № 25 (1): 81–100. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01817.x.

    • , and . . “The effects of age and social interactions on innate immunity in a leaf-cutting ant.” Journal of Insect Physiolog, № 56 (7): 780–787. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.01.009.
    • , , and . . “Diploid male production in a leaf-cutting ant.” Ecological Entomology, № 35 (2): 175–182. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2311.2009.01167.x.

    • , , , , and . . “Novel fungal disease in complex leaf-cutting societies.” Ecological Entomology, № 34 (2): 214–220. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.01066.x.

    • , , and . . “Social immunity.” Current biology, № 17 (16): R693–R702. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.06.008.

    • , , and . . “Sperm storage induces an immunity cost in ants.” Nature, № 441 (7095): 872–875. doi: 10.1038/nature04698.
    • , and . . “Alternative adaptive immunity in invertebrates.” Trends in Immunology, № 27: 493–496. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2006.09.001.

    • , , and . . “Genetic constraints and sexual dimorphism in immune defense.” Evolution, № 59 (8): 1844–1850. doi: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2005.tb01831.x.
    • , and . . “Immune function responds to selection for cuticular colour in Tenebrio molitor.” Heredity, № 94 (6): 650–656. doi: 10.1038/sj.hdy.6800675.

    • , , , and . “Examining costs of induced and constitutive immune investment in Tenebrio molitor.” Journal of Evolutionary Biology, № 16 (5): 1038–1044. doi: 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2003.00551.x.

    • , , and . . “Cuticular colour change after imaginal eclosion is time-constrained: blacker beetles darken faster.” Physiological Entomology, № 27 (2): 136–141. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3032.2002.00278.x.