University of Copenhagen

The Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics at The University of Copenhagen investigates how the interaction between genes and microbes determines biological evolution, retelling the story of life through a hologenomic lens. The Hologenomics group (WP1), led by Prof. Tom Gilbert, explores life via the hologenomic perspective – embracing the notion that understanding the genetic basis of life necessitates considering it as the union of hosts and their microbiomes. The Computational Biodiscovery group (WP2), led by Prof. Thomas Sicheritz-Pontén, focuses on integrating ‘omics’ and imaging data into machine learning networks and devising algorithms to uncover the underlying biology of analysed organisms. A key emphasis is on the genomes, microbiomes, and viromes of animals and plants, and developing innovative strategies for microbiome and bacteriophage analysis.

Role in DiverSea

In WP1, the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are pioneering k-mer based genome-skimming techniques to improve species and population identification from mixed DNA samples. This endeavour aims to deliver highly accurate algorithms for biodiversity monitoring, substantially advancing our understanding of genetic diversity and enhancing metagenomic analysis.
In WP2, our goal is to streamline the collection, processing, and integration of molecular dataflows into existing monitoring portals, using our supercomputing infrastructure. We aim to develop sophisticated machine learning and graph algorithms to combine eDNA and genomic data with environmental metrics, thereby enriching our comprehension of biodiversity through the innovative application of microbial content as indicators of key species.

Contact

Tom Gilbert, Professor | tgilbert@sund.ku.dk | view website
Thomas Sicheritz-Pontén, Professor | thomassp@sund.ku.dk | view website

University of Copenhagen - DiverSea Partners