International Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Conference

Bo Zhang attended the International Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Conference in Kyoto to present her PhD research on Russian Wheat Aphid Invasion Genetics.

Bo had a wonderful time in the conference, not only because of the opportunity to meet people working in field of molecular biology and evolution, but also as a stage for scientists presenting their ongoing research topics and results. The conference provided Bo with the opportunity to post her PhD results and to communicate with eminent researchers in this field of study.

With Nancy Moran as a plenary speaker and Japan as a centre for symbiont research, it presented a great opportunity for Bo to investigate the role of symbiont in invasion genetics. Bo discussed with Nancy the practicability and problems when using symbiont genes as the markers in Russian wheat aphid.

Nancy inspired Bo that symbiont genes in population genetic studies are usable to differentiate population clade and that it is also practical to test the invasive populations in area - as the founder effect and bottleneck would affect the natural selection when aphids are undertaking the gene drift and co-evolution in new environment.

Meanwhile, Bo found the research direction in Nancy’s lab very interesting, especially that biology and evolution of symbiont-aphid interaction was a breakthrough point to view the microbe-insect evolutionary research, which represents the most cutting edge proceedings in the field. Bo is also hoping to establish and evolve the future collaborations between researchers at QUT and CSIRO with Dr Moran’s group at Yale University. Furthermore, Bo talked with scientists research in invasion population genetics. 

At this conference, Bo learned novel methods of analysis, original figures of illustration, and the way of telling a scientific story, which she can incorporate into research and publications, leading to better outcomes for Australian plant biosecurity, particularly with respect to managing an invasive pest like Russian wheat aphid.

The conference was a window for Bo to see the evolutionary science in a new manner. She found her understanding of evolution was so narrow and limited previously. It's not as simple as phylogeny trees from bacteria to great apes, but the steps on development of depth and width in genes and all organisms.

As Bo is in the final year of her PhD study, the conference also presented a great opportunity for her to meet and speak to future potential postdoctoral employers. It was an extremely valuable conference in Bo's early scientific experience both on PhD research and future career.