Models of Genome Evolution from Populations to Species
A symposium hosted by the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) and
organized within the framework of its Natural Sciences Programme.
19 - 21 May, 2021
Studies of genome evolution are generally based on two approaches, phylogenetic methodology that relies
on inter-species variation, and population genetics methodology that relies on intra-species variation. The
two approaches, thus, focus on two different time-scales, and different models and methods have emerged
in both disciplines. Different model assumptions have led to a separation of the two disciplines, and informa-
tion
content extracted by each of the two approaches is rarely combined. However, motivated by the recent
increase in genome sequence data, efforts in method development have been made to counteract the distinc-
tion
between phylogenetic and population genetics methodology.
The idea of this symposium is to discuss and compare different approaches that cross the bridge between
inter-
and intra-specific studies. The discussions shall improve our understanding of the information content
provided
in genome sequence data across time-scales and stimulate further method development to efficiently
use the
increasing amount of data available.
Organizing committee:
Laurent Guéguen, Laboratoire de Biométrie & Biologie Évolutive, Université Lyon 1 (Convener)
Carolin Kosiol, Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews
Carina Farah Mugal, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University
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The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) was founded in 1985 as the first institute of its kind
in Northern Europe. It is a national scientific
institution, chartered by the Government of Sweden as an
Institute for Advanced Study, mainly in the
social and human sciences, but in recent years also expanding
into the natural sciences. A core component of an institute
for advanced study is a selective Fellowship
programme open to applications from across the world. The
Collegium is located in Linneanum, a historic
building in the Botanic Garden in Uppsala, near the Carolina
Rediviva Library and other scientific facilities
at Uppsala University. SCAS interacts with a large number
of scholarly institutions. Especially important
is
the collaboration with nine leading institutes for advanced
study within the SIAS group (Some Institutes
for
Advanced Study), including Center for Advanced Study
in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University;
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton; Radcliffe Institute
for Advanced Study, Harvard University; and
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
The SCAS Natural Sciences Programme is a research programme aimed at advancing cutting-edge research
in the natural sciences, as well as at bridging the gap between these and the humanities and social sciences.
The programme initially runs over five years and is funded by The Erling Persson Family Foundation and
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. There are four thematic foci of the programme: 1) Theoretical
Biology; 2) Human Brains and Societies;
3) Measurable Man; and
4) Exoplanets and Biological Activity on
Other Worlds.
The two core components of the programme are residential fellowships and a series of
symposia.
Fellowships are normally awarded for either one academic year or one semester, although short-
term
visits (at least three months) are possible. The symposium on Models of Genome Evolution from
Populations to Species is organiszed within the framework of the Natural Sciences Programme.