The Jiggins Lab Webpage

Fergal Waldron

Research Interests

It is of major biological interest to uncover the extent to which genetic variation influences host susceptibility and pathogen virulence and also the degree to which evolution can create new mechanisms and strategies to maximise the success of such intimately interacting organisms that are in conflict. The Drosophila/sigma virus system is an ideal model for asking these questions as we can draw from the wide range of resources and extensive knowledge on fruit-fly genetics whilst looking at an interaction that occurs in natural populations which can be investigated in the lab. I am currently in the process of mapping QTLs which explain variation in male transmission of the sigma virus. I hope to be able to identify a small region/gene through association mapping and then investigate how selection may be acting on this gene in natural populations.

Education and Employment

Autumn 2008-present. Graduate Student, Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge

2007-2008 MSc in Quantitative Genetics and Genome Analysis, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh

2003-2005 MRes - A Study on the Effects of Habitat Permanence on Flightlessness in Water Beetle Community Assemblages, National University of Ireland, Galway.

1998-2003 BSc Zoology, National University of Ireland, Galway.

Publications

Haddrill PR, Waldron FM,and Charlesworth B. (2008) Elevated levels of expression associated with regions of the Drosophila genome that lack crossing over. Biology Letters. 4, 758-761[PDF]