Welcome to the Ma Lab! We are currently seeking one PhD assistant (teaching + research; 6-year contract) and two postdoctoral researchers, find full details on our Join Us page.
We investigate the remarkable diversity of sex-determination systems across eukaryotes, why some lineages (reptiles, amphibians, fishes) repeatedly switch mechanisms while others (mammals, birds) remain locked in. Our work uncovers the forces driving recombination suppression on sex chromosomes, decodes their genomic signatures, and probes how endosymbionts can hijack host reproduction. By combining comparative and functional genomics, transcriptomics, molecular genetics, experimental evolution, and field sampling, we aim to map the genetic architecture underlying sex determination and reveal its evolutionary trajectory.
The Ma Lab is part of Ecology, Evolution and Genetics (bDIV) research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
We investigate the remarkable diversity of sex-determination systems across eukaryotes, why some lineages (reptiles, amphibians, fishes) repeatedly switch mechanisms while others (mammals, birds) remain locked in. Our work uncovers the forces driving recombination suppression on sex chromosomes, decodes their genomic signatures, and probes how endosymbionts can hijack host reproduction. By combining comparative and functional genomics, transcriptomics, molecular genetics, experimental evolution, and field sampling, we aim to map the genetic architecture underlying sex determination and reveal its evolutionary trajectory.
The Ma Lab is part of Ecology, Evolution and Genetics (bDIV) research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
