Christine Grossen

I am generally interested in population genetics and evolutionary biology. My PhD will focus on sex-chromosome evolution, with both theoretical and empirical aspects. On the one hand, I plan to run individual-based simulations to investigate the evolution and diversity of sex-determination mechanisms, e.g. to understand the selective pressures acting on environmental versus genetic factors. On the other hand, I will investigate the evolutionary forces acting on the diversity of sex-linked markers (such as sex-specific dispersal rate, sexual selection, or effective population size), using the European tree frog (Hyla arborea) as a model organism.

2007 -
PhD under supervision of Prof. Nicolas Perrin, University of Lausanne

2005 - 2007
Research Assistant
Zoological Museum, University of Zürich, Switzerland;
Department of behavioural ecology, Universities of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and Calgary, Canada; Fish and Wildlife Biology, University of Montana, Missoula, USA;
Département d'Écologie et Évolution, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

2005
Master thesis on 'MHC variability in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) populations.' Advisors: Prof. Lukas Keller (University of Zürich) and Prof. Paul Schmid-Hempel (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich)

2003 - 2005
Research Assistant
Institute of Plant Sciences and Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Switzerland;
KORA (Coordinated research projects for the conservation and management of carnivores in Switzerland), Berne, Switzerland

2001 - 2005
Studies of Biology. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Switzerland