MSCA summary information online

In Spetember I finished my two year Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions European Fellowship. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, this mobility fellowship gave me the chance to work in the lab of Dr Josefa González at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain.

The project was all about understanding interactions between chromatin (the complex of DNA and protein making up chromosomes) and transposable elements (fragments of genomic DNA that can replicate independently and act as powerful mutagens). I wanted to know if the interactions between these two factors could play a role in rapid adaptation to environmental stress. You can see a summary of the project on a new dedicated MSCA summary page.

A graphical representation of the InterChromaTE project.

The fellowship has been a great experience from both a professional and a personal viewpoint: I had an amazing time living and working in Barcelona, and I will miss everyone at IBE. However, I am sure I will be back to visit soon!

A developmental progression

Welcome to my first blog post! My name is Ewan Harney and I’m a postdoctoral research scientist interested in how environmental variation influences individual development and life history (the timing and patterns of growth, reproduction and aging), and it’s consequences for the evolution of populations and species. I have approached these questions using a variety of different animal species, including bedbugs, water fleas, scallops, abalone and fruitflies during my research career in the UK and France.

The website provides an introduction to some of my past and present research, and the blog will feature updates including:

  • Highlights from my own current research
  • Exciting results from collaborators and the wider scientific community
  • Natural history posts, whether from the field-site or the garden
  • Outreach and science communication events that I’m involved in
  • Science-art crossovers that I discover and want to share

That’s it for now, but I’m looking forward to sharing more with you soon!