Paul Rainey
Please refer to http://micropop.evolbio.mpg.de/ and recent publications. If you need further information on the projects after having read these, please contact Paul B. Rainey <rainey@evolbio.mpg.de>.
To apply for the position(s) please write an email to <imprs-application@evolbio.mpg.de> for attention of Ms. Ellen Karl from the MPI personnel department. Your application documents have to be compiled in one PDF including a short motivational statement, a short CV (biosketch), bachelor and master degrees/transcripts of records and contact information for two academic references. Name the PDF as follows: Lastname_Firstname_Lastnamesupervisor.pdf.
With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. For further information on the legal basis and data usage we refer to the MPG privacy policy on <https://www.evolbio.mpg.de/3246466/privacy-policy>
1. Autogenic Transitions and the Evolution of Individuality
This project is a conceptually driven PhD at the interface of evolutionary theory, philosophy of biology, and complex systems. The student will develop the concept of autogenic transitions—evolutionary transitions in individuality that arise from internal reorganisation rather than from the joining of previously independent entities. The work will involve critical analysis of existing frameworks for evolutionary transitions, development of new conceptual distinctions, and close engagement with case studies from cell biology, developmental systems, and possibly human–AI relations.
The project is suited to a philosophically inclined candidate with strong analytical skills and an interest in foundational questions about individuality, agency, and levels of selection. For further information see: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/26847. This project will be developed in collaboration with Russell Gray (MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology).
2. Competition for Transcriptional Resources and the Evolution of Regulatory Networks
This experimental PhD will test the idea that competition among genes for limiting transcriptional resources (especially RNA polymerase) can drive the evolution of regulatory network structure. Using microbial model systems, the student will engineer defined regulatory conflicts, impose selection under controlled ecological conditions, and track the evolutionary response using experimental evolution, genomics, and quantitative phenotyping.
The project addresses a fundamental question in evolutionary biology: how intracellular competition among genes shapes higher-order regulatory organisation. It is suited to a quantitatively minded experimentalist with strong interests in microbial evolution, gene regulation, and systems-level dynamics. This project will be developed in collaboration with Nadine Vastenhouw (University of Lausanne).
3. Open topics
We additionally offer opportunities for students to tailor projects to suit individual interests. Although not restricted to the following areas, these recent publications offer excellent springboards for new research:
- Barnett et al (2025). Experimental evolution of evolvability. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adr2756.
- Zhao et al (2025). Jumbo phage-mediated transduction of genomic islands. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2512465122.
- Doulcier et al (2025). Evolutionary dynamics of nascent multicellular lineages. Proc B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1195.
Also actively pursued is research on egalitarian transitions in individuality, mapping of genotype to phenotype, cellulose-dependent collective behaviour, population genomics of Pseudomonas, and other topics as described on our – rather outdated – website: https://micropop.evolbio.mpg.de/