Dates: 27 November - 1 December 2006

Application deadline: 30. September

The rapid addition of modern molecular techniques to the evolutionary ecologist´s toolbox has been paralleled by the extensive development of sophisticated statistical methods with which to decipher evolutionary processes in natural populations. This workshop aims to introduce empirical evolutionary ecologists at the pre- and post-doctoral level to these modern inference techniques. The workshop is organised around several research themes, each of which will be presented by an expert in the field. Emphasis will be placed on concepts, interconnections and applications rather than mathematical finesse. This guided tour should enable the participants to identify the best approaches for their own budding or ongoing projects and aid the design of future research. Ideally the participants will be encouraged to further their own understanding of these methods and/or to recruit a theoretician to their project. The workshop language will be English.

Each day of the workshop consists of lectures, discussion groups and hands-on exercises and will be devoted to one of the following research themes:

Estimates of historic and contemporary dispersal rates
Raphael Leblois, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris

Phylogeographic inference
Stuart Baird, Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations, Montferrier-sur-Lez

Reconstructing sibships and pedigrees, and inferring mating patterns
Kevin Dawson, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden

QTL mapping in the field
Jon Slate, University of Sheffield

Estimates of genetic parameters and natural selection using the animal model
Katharina Foerster, University of Edinburgh


Workshop Organisation:
Beate Nurnberger, University of Munich

Funding of the course covers accommodation and meals as well as travel expenses (up to 150 Euros) for the participants. Applications in English should consist of a curriculum vitae, a publication list, a description of the planned or ongoing research project and a statement of how the applicant expects to benefit from the workshop.

Requests for further information and applications shall be sent by e-mail only to
Beate Nurnberger (nurnbb@zi.biologie.uni-muenchen.de) no later than September 30.