I. Archaeogenetic research of domesticated animals

Doctoral School: Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Doctoral School of Biology
Thesis supervisor: Anna Szécsényi-Nagy
Location of studies (in Hungarian): Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont, Archeogenomikai Intézet (Budapest, 1097 Tóth Kálmán utca 4)

The potential for archaeogenetic research on domestic animals is extensive. These include exploring the microevolutionary and selection processes involved in domestication, and better understanding the relationship between humans and animals. Among domesticated animals, equine bioarhaeological research has been and continues to be a prominent field of study, thanks to the diverse roles of domestic horses and their close relationship with humans. Since prehistoric times, the horse has also represented a prestige, its use being closely linked to people's way of life and social role.

The PhD student will be responsible for mastering and applying population genetic, phylogenetic and archaeogenomic analyses on genomes extracted from the remains of domestic animals, and for developing statistical solutions to achieve the project's objectives. The planned archaeogenomic analyses will be supported by the team's archaeological and archaeozoological experts, while the laboratory part of the work will be carried out by assistants from the Institute of Archaeogenomics. The infrastructure for the research will be provided by the laboratory of the Institute of Archaeogenomics of the Research Centre for the Humanities. In addition to horses, research on several other domestic animals (such as camels) may be included in the PhD topic. The PhD work requires knowledge of bioinformatics and Linux OS, R or Python programming.

Required language skills: English
Recommended language skills: German
Further requirements: degree in biology, bioengineering, physics or biophysics (MSc), basic bioinformatics skills
Number of potential candidates: 1

II. Development of whole genome analyses of ancient samples

Doctoral School: Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Doctoral School of Biology
Thesis supervisor: Anna Szécsényi-Nagy
Location of studies (in Hungarian): Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont, Archeogenomikai Intézet (Budapest, 1097 Tóth Kálmán utca 4)

Within the field of archaeogenetics, bioinformatics, the development of different ways of processing ancient genomic data, is becoming increasingly important. The research team of the Institute of Archaeogenomics, Research Centre for the Humanities, has recently developed an informatics system for processing raw DNA data, with associated bioinformatics tools to monitor potential contamination of samples or, for example, to help track heritable diseases and phenotype-associated markers (Gerber et al. 2022).

The central theme of the present PhD thesis is to test, adapt and develop additional methods useful for deeper analysis of ancient genomes. One possible direction of the PhD work is the development of methods for population genetic analyses, and another is the study of genetic selection of specific genomic regions or genetic diseases in ancient populations. The infrastructure for the research is provided by the laboratory of the Institute of Archaeogenomics of the BTK. The PhD work requires knowledge of bioinformatics and Linux OS, R or Python programming.

Required language skills: English
Further requirements: degree in biology, bioengineering, physics or biophysics (MSc), advanced Linux OS skills, basic programming and biostatistics skills
Number of potential candidates: 1