Introduction

Daniel Tamarit is an Assistant professor at the Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics (TBB) group, specialized in comparative and evolutionary genomics. He obtained his PhD at Uppsala University by studying the genomes of host-associated bacteria, and performed postdoctoral research at Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Wageningen University on major evolutionary transitions such as the origin of eukaryotes and the diversification of chlamydiae.

The Archaeal and Bacterial Evolution team

Recent advances in sequencing technology and computational tools have generated heaps of bacterial and archaeal genome data, which include an incredibly detailed sampling of model organisms as well as the continuous description of novel microbial lineages. The rapidly expanding diversity of the known biosphere, combined with the sheer amount of accumulated data, provide incredible opportunities for biological research.

The main goal of our team is to investigate fundamental questions in archaeal and bacterial biology. To get there, we integrate genomic and evolutionary analyses with the ambition to unlock biological principles hidden within genome sequences. Additionally, we build tools that facilitate these analyses. Current major themes in this team include:

• What are the principles governing bacterial and archaeal genome architecture?
• What can the genomes of novel microbial lineages tell us about basic evolutionary processes?
• What is the shape of the tree of life?