Amir YASSIN

Brief CV

• Since 2016 : CNRS researcher, National Museum of Natural Histroy, Paris (France)
  
   
• 2013-2016 : Postdoc, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison (USA)
  
   
• 2010-2012 : Postdoc, Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, Paris (France)
  
   
• 2008-2010 : Postdoc, American Museum of Natural History, New York (USA)
  
   
• 2007-2008 : A.T.E.R., National Museum of Natural History, Paris (France)
  
   
• 2005-2007 : PhD thesis, University of Paris-South XI, CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
  
   
• 2002-2004 : MSc thesis, University of Alexandria, Alexandria (Egypt)
  
   
• 1998-2002 : BSc in Genetics, University of Alexandria, Alexandria (Egypt)

 Research

My research aims at identifying the genomic basis of adaptive traits. It focuses on the systematics and evolution of flies in the family Drosophilidae. Drosophila melanogaster is undoubtedly a genetics star, but our understanding of the morphological and ecological diversity of non-melanogaster drosophilids remains nebulous. I attempt to establish a comprehensive phylogenetic classification of the family based on molecular and morphological data. I also combine population and functional genomics approaches to unravel the basis of two traits : first, an apparent case of sexual color mimicry, which has independently evolved in more than 20 species, and second, a recurrent specialization on a toxic fruit in an island population of a generalist species.

 Keywords

Population genomics, functional genetics, sexual selection, ecological speciation, Drosophila evolution.