Jennah Dharamshi
Postdoc
jennah.dharamshi{@}ebc.uu.se

​I received my BMSc in Microbiology and Immunology at Western University (Canada) and MSc from the University of Montpellier (France) and Uppsala University (Sweden) as part of the Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme in Evolutionary Biology (MEME). These experiences sparked my excitement for microbial evolution and inspired me to pursue a PhD at Uppsala University, which I received in 2021. My PhD research focused on expanding sequenced Chlamydiae genomic diversity to further our understanding of the ecology and evolution of this ancient group of endosymbiotic bacteria. I then worked as a bioinformatician/postdoctoral researcher at Stockholm University investigating aquatic microbial interactions. Together my background led to my research interest in host-microbe interactions and their roles in major evolutionary transitions.

Starting in spring of 2023 I am working as a VR international postdoctoral researcher in the Burki lab and will spend the first two years in the group of Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona (IBE, CSIC-UPF, Spain), where I will also be a non-stipendiary EMBO Fellow. Together, we are investigating the role of microbial interactions in the origin of animals. During the project I will work to characterize microbial associations with diverse close unicellular animal relatives and their effects on cell behavior and temporary multicellularity.

I am also an avid reader, who loves to get out in nature, to hike, to sing, and to travel to new places.