Thèse de doctorat M/F (PhD): A paleogenomic history of the domestic horse in Eurasia.

Job Description

Thesis Subject

The domestication of horses in the steppes of the lower Don and Volga valleys 4,200 years ago marked a true turning point in the history of human societies, affecting the dynamics of their relationships, their capacity to wage war, and their belief systems alike. Indeed, the horse endowed human societies with the ability to travel at unprecedented speeds over long distances, thus facilitating contact and exchange between peoples. Whether harnessed to war chariots or ridden, the horse quickly took a central place in the military arsenal; it thus became an indispensable ally in the expansion and defense of many empires throughout history, up to World War II, where it coexisted with motorized armored tanks. Because of its speed, power, and associated prestige, the horse was often buried alongside humans, testifying to a strong religious bond uniting the two species beyond death.
While for a long time our understanding of horse history could only progress through classical archaeological and historical methods, it has, in recent years, advanced considerably thanks to the rise of genomic sciences, particularly our ability to map (epi)genetic variations of horses across both space and time, from archaeological remains dating from a few centuries to several millennia ago. Knowledge of ancient horse genomes now allows us to both trace horse production and exchange networks and predict their biological characteristics, thereby revealing the diversity of breeding and ritual practices employed throughout history.
As part of the ERC PEGASUS and ERC Synergy Horse Power programs, our laboratory has sequenced thousands of ancient genomes of domestic horses. These mainly date from the last three millennia and cover horses used by numerous cultures across Europe and Eurasia.
With whole-genome data already generated and validated, this PhD work will be based on bioinformatics analysis to characterize their (epi)genetic variations, the spatio-temporal dynamics of population structure, effective population sizes of produced horses, and selection patterns. The study will adopt both regional and even local scales, focusing on nearby archaeological sites genetically characterized by a long temporal transect, as well as a global scale aiming to identify historico-cultural periods marked by major shifts in exchange and production strategies.

Your Work Environment

 Le/la doctorant(e) sera hébergé au sein de l'équipe AGES du laboratoire CAGT. Ce laboratoire est une unité mixte du CNRS, et de l'Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, implantée sur le site toulousain de la faculté de médecine de Purpan. L'unité compte 50+ personnes, dont environ 30 permanents. L'unité mène des recherches dans les domaines de la génomique évolutive, la paléogénétique, l'anthropologie et la médecine évolutive.
Le groupe AGES, associe un large panel de scientifiques issus de l'archéologie moléculaire, de la biologie évolutive, de l'écologie, de l'anthropologie et de la bio-informatique, tous choisis pour rechercher ensemble comment de telles transitions majeures passées ont impacté notre trajectoire évolutive, modulé notre biologie comme notre santé, et comment nous activités ont en retour impacté notre environnement et les communautés d'espèces avec lesquelles nous sommes en interaction.

Constraints and risks

The successful candidate will have a strong background in population genetics and evolutionary genomics, and be proficient in a programming language (e.g., bash, Perl, Python, R). They will have direct experience in sequencing data analysis, particularly in handling large next-generation genomic alignment datasets. The candidate will be able to communicate in English, since part of the host laboratory is non-French-speaking. They will demonstrate strong synthesis skills and be committed to ensuring the replicability of bioinformatics analyses through transparent and reproducible procedures.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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