The Department for Integrative Evolutionary Biology of the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen (Director: Prof. Dr. Ralf J. Sommer) has an active research program studying developmental plasticity in the the predatory model nematode Pristionchus pacificus. We have state-of-the-art facilities in molecular biology, biochemistry, nematode genetics, CRISPR-engineering, genomics, and bioinformatics. Our highly interdisciplinary research team works at the interphase between development, evolution and ecology. We investigate among others, the development and evolution of mouth-form plasticity with two alternative, predatory or bacterial feeding morphs and we have developed P. pacificus mouth-form plasticity as a prime model to study all aspects of phenotypic plasticity. 

We recently discovered long-lasting transgenerational inheritance and epigenetics of diet-induced plasticity. A genetic screen for transgenerational inheritance-defective mutants identified a set of epigenetic factors and allows unprecedented studies of the associated molecular and biochemical mechanisms. We are searching for postdocs to join the department to study various aspects of phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in P. pacificus.