Address of the bookmark: https://sourceforge.net/projects/mimicree2/

Daniel A Dalquen, Maria Anisimova, Gaston H Gonnet, Christophe Dessimoz: ALF - A Simulation Framework for Genome Evolution. Mol Biol Evol, 29(4):1115-1123, April 2012.
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/4/1115

Address of the bookmark: http://alfsim.org/#index

Applications are invited for the position of Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology (Bioinformatics).

We are seeking a person with a relevant doctorate, and demonstrated potential to develop as an outstanding researcher and teacher in evolutionary bioinformatics in the Department of Zoology. The position affords an exciting opportunity for an emerging scholar to research and teach in a vibrant and diverse Department. The successful candidate will develop a transformative and collaborative research program, supporting the university's commitment to excellence in research.

Your skills and experience

A PhD with a background in analysis of high-throughput sequencing data and evolutionary biology.
Knowledge of and familiarity with a range of bioinformatics skills, concepts, and practices as they relate to the biology of animals, including genomic, transcriptomic and metabarcoding data analyses.
A strong interest, and experience, in research and teaching of bioinformatics and evolutionary genomics.
An ability to contribute to teaching and learning environments that support engagement of students and staff with bioinformatics and genomics.
Be committed to and or have established connections or track record of working with national and local bioinformaticians.
Be committed to being a productive collaborator with a track record of working collegially.
Further details

This is a confirmation-path (tenure track) position at the level of Lecturer. The successful candidate is expected to take up duties by 1 July 2021.

To see a full job description and to apply online go to: https://otago.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=2100342

In this post, we’ll explore the core methods used in comparative genomics, the questions they help answer, and how they’re shaping our understanding of life.

1. Whole-Genome Alignment
Whole-genome alignment involves mapping the entire genome of one species to another. Tools like MUMmer, MAUVE, and LASTZ perform large-scale sequence alignments to detect conserved regions, rearrangements, insertions, and deletions.

Use Case:
Comparing human and chimpanzee genomes to identify evolutionary conserved sequences (ECS) and regions of divergence.

Key Challenges:
Handling repetitive sequences and genome rearrangements.

Computational complexity in large genomes.

2. Synteny and Collinearity Analysis
Synteny refers to conserved blocks of gene order across species. Tools like MCScanX, SynMap, or CHITRA (for visualizing synteny interactively) detect these blocks to understand chromosomal evolution.

Use Case:
Studying ancient genome duplications in plants.

Investigating chromosomal rearrangements in cancer genomes.

3. Ortholog and Paralog Detection
Orthologs are genes in different species that evolved from a common ancestor, while paralogs are genes duplicated within a genome. Identifying them is crucial for functional annotation and evolutionary studies.

Popular Tools:
OrthoFinder, Orthologous MAtrix (OMA), InParanoid, and EggNOG.

Use Case:
Functional prediction of uncharacterized genes based on orthologs in model organisms.

Tracing gene family evolution.

4. Phylogenomic Analysis
Phylogenomic methods combine phylogenetics and genomics to infer evolutionary trees based on genome-wide data. These methods can handle dozens to hundreds of genomes, using concatenated alignments or gene trees.

Tools:
RAxML, IQ-TREE, ASTRAL, Phylip, BEAST.

Use Case:
Resolving the evolutionary relationships between microbial species.

Studying speciation events.

5. Pan-Genome Analysis
The pan-genome consists of the core genome (shared by all strains) and the accessory genome (strain-specific genes). This is especially popular in microbial genomics.

Tools:
Roary, Panaroo, BPGA, PGAP.

Use Case:
Understanding virulence factor diversity in E. coli.

Designing broad-spectrum vaccines.

6. Comparative Transcriptomics
Comparing transcriptomes across species or conditions reveals conserved and unique expression patterns. RNA-seq data can be mapped to reference genomes to identify orthologous expression profiles.

Use Case:
Comparing stress response in extremophiles and model species.

Studying conserved regulatory networks.

7. Functional Element Comparison
Beyond genes, comparative genomics also targets non-coding regions—enhancers, promoters, miRNAs. Conservation across species often implies functional importance.

Tools:
PhastCons, GERP, phyloP (based on multiple alignments).

Use Case:
Detecting conserved non-coding elements in vertebrates.

Studying regulatory divergence in human evolution.

8. Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) Detection
In microbes, genes often jump across species boundaries. Comparative genomics can detect HGT by identifying genes that defy the expected phylogenetic pattern.

Tools:
HGTector, DarkHorse, AlienHunter, SIGI-HMM.

Use Case:
Tracing antibiotic resistance genes.

Exploring microbial adaptability in extreme environments.

Final Thoughts
Comparative genomics is a powerful lens to observe the diversity and unity of life. With a broad toolkit—from aligners to orthology pipelines, phylogenetic engines to visualization tools—it allows scientists to ask big questions: How did genomes evolve? What makes species unique? Where do new genes come from?

Whether you're studying extremophiles, building better crops, or exploring human ancestry, comparative genomics offers the methods to connect the dots across the tree of life.

tax_id:
the unique identifier provided by NCBI Taxonomy
for the species or strain/isolate

GeneID:
the unique identifier for a gene
ASN1: geneid

Symbol:
the default symbol for the gene
ASN1: gene->locus

LocusTag:
the LocusTag value
ASN1: gene->locus-tag

Synonyms:
bar-delimited set of unofficial symbols for the gene

dbXrefs:
bar-delimited set of identifiers in other databases
for this gene. The unit of the set is database:value.
Note that HGNC and MGI include 'HGNC' and 'MGI', respectively,
in the value part of their identifier. Consequently,
dbXrefs for these databases will appear like:
HGNC:HGNC:1100
This would be interpreted as database='HGNC', value='HGNC:1100'
Example for MGI:
MGI:MGI:104537
This would be interpreted as database='MGI', value='MGI:104537'

chromosome:
the chromosome on which this gene is placed.
for mitochondrial genomes, the value 'MT' is used.

map location:
the map location for this gene

description:
a descriptive name for this gene

type of gene:
the type assigned to the gene according to the list of options
provided in https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/IEB/ToolBox/CPP_DOC/lxr/source/src/objects/entrezgene/entrezgene.asn

Symbol from nomenclature authority:
when not '-', indicates that this symbol is from a
a nomenclature authority

Full name from nomenclature authority:
when not '-', indicates that this full name is from a
a nomenclature authority

Nomenclature status:
when not '-', indicates the status of the name from the
nomenclature authority (O for official, I for interim)

Other designations:
pipe-delimited set of some alternate descriptions that
have been assigned to a GeneID
'-' indicates none is being reported.

Modification date:
the last date a gene record was updated, in YYYYMMDD format

Feature type:
pipe-delimited set of annotated features and their classes or
controlled vocabularies, displayed as feature_type:feature_class
or feature_type:controlled_vocabulary, when appropriate; derived
from select feature annotations on RefSeq(s) associated with the
GeneID

Address of the bookmark: ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/gene/DATA/GENE_INFO/

Address of the bookmark: http://www.zhanyuwang.xin/wordpress/index.php/2017/07/21/baum-improving-genome-assembly-by-adaptive-unique-mapping-and-local-overlap-layout-consensus/

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/walaj/svaba

Starting with your current or most recent employment provide details of your position as follows:

• A chronological CV should be arranged in reverse chronological order. It should be apparent immediately where you are now.
• Remember that an application form is limited to the few things that a particular institution wants to know about everybody. A CV lets you give information that is unique to you. Add all your key accomplishments and activities in the initial draft. In subsequent drafts, you can remove information that may not be pertinent.
• Resist the temptation to append explanatory sentences or language, which will distract the reader from the basic information being presented. The language of a CV is abbreviated and succinct. When applying for residency training, you will have the opportunity to express yourself in a personal or biographical statement. In the future, when applying for a job or some other type of position, you will want to include an appropriate cover letter with your CV to explain your particular qualifications and strengths for the position.
• Don’t despair if your CV doesn’t resemble those of other students who are applying to the same residency program. Everybody’s CV is different. Even if everyone used the same format suggested in this section, your CV will not resemble others’ because it doesn’t have the same content. No residency program director is looking for a specific CV style. You will receive points for neatness, and readability.
• Be honest. If you haven’t accomplished anything in a particular category, leave it out. Don’t create accomplishments to fill in the spaces. You can be specific about your level of participation in a project or activity, but don’t be misleading (i.e., you can say you coordinated membership recruitment for your AMSA chapter, but don’t say you were “president” unless you were).

• Job title - time that you have held this position
• The key tasks and responsibilities that comprise this role's requirements - notable achievements whilst in the role
• Where possible quantify your achievements with precise facts and figures, e.g. managed junior staff, handled department budget, prepared management reports
• Expand on the skills you are using in your current job which you believe will be valuable in the position(s) for which you are applying

It is not necessary to state the reason you are leaving your current position. This will be a topic for conversation when you are invited for interview or can be covered in your letter of application.
For all previous employment, unless one appointment was more significant than your current or last position, keep details brief i.e. the name of the company, job title, period of employment and the job.
Be sure there are no gaps in your career history - unless for example you took a year out to travel, in which case make reference to this under Interests/Hobbies.
If you are a student just starting work, give any evidence you can to demonstrate your practical skills e.g. school prefect, event organisation, member of sports team, contributor to college magazine or voluntary work.

You are under no obligation to disclose marital status, age or whether or not you have children unless these are specific criteria for selection for a position that you are interested in.
Consider what examples (interests/ hobbies) you can give to show that you match the selection criteria.

If they want someone to work as part of a large team, remember to say if you belong to a local organisation or if you are part of a sports team.

If they want someone who will work on their own for large periods of time, make reference to an Open University course you are considering undertaking.

Your primary objective is to convince the prospective employer that you have the requisite skills, experience and hunger to do the job.

Your CV should be no more than two A4 pages and as every employer is different remember to customise your CV to every job you go after.

There are abundant books on the contents and presentation of a general CV. A BMJ article published in 1978, offering doctors guidance on how to prepare a CV, has been reprinted in the widely read How to do it series.1 2 A survey among postgraduate deans and training advisers at regional colleges found that the contents and presentation of a model CV for doctors in training has been published.3 It is perhaps surprising to note that these models differ significantly from one another. Although they may be useful as starting points, their differences tend to create confusion and anxiety among students. I would argue that these differences exist because the content and presentation of the "ideal" CV vary considerably among individual applicants, the stage of their careers, and the purposes for which the CV is used. It is impossible to create a generic CV. I have therefore not attempted to draw up another model CV. Rather, the purpose of this article is to outline the general principles and important practical points in preparing a good CV. General principles on contents Before finalising your CV for a particular purpose you must be sure of your objectives, whether it is used as an initial screening or the only selection instrument, and the criteria against which it is judged. What details, and how many of them, to include in your CV depends on these factors. I shall illustrate with examples relevant to medical students. 

(1) Job application Your objective is to get the job. In a job application, the CV is used for two purposes: as an initial screening instrument for shortlisting candidates and as a framework for discussion during the interview. The explicit criteria used for shortlisting are usually given in the job advertisement. For some organisations, separate lists of essential and desirable criteria are given. Alternatively, you can get a good idea of the basic requirements from the job description. Your CV must clearly highlight these criteria, preferably on the first page. These usually include: formal qualifications; registration with the General Medical Council; and the prescribed experience. It is sometimes easy to forget to mention items specifically asked for in the job description (for example, a valid driving licence). The implicit criteria are less easy to pinpoint. For example, how much detail on your BSc dissertation and publications should you include? Should you make a long list of extracurricular activities, interests outside medicine, and positions of responsibility? If you admit to a wide range of extracurricular activities and interests, would you be considered as a candidate with a well balanced mature personality or will it be interpreted to mean that you will have little time or interest to do your job? There are no easy answers. Common sense might tell you that BSc dissertation and publications are more important in application for teaching hospital or research posts, but less important for district hospital posts. Conversely, you might think that interests outside medicine are more important for posts in district hospitals or in general practice. This is, however, not always true. A few consultants at district hospital are highly academic. Information gathered from students and doctors working under the professor or consultant concerned may be vital. Alternatively, it is worth while doing your homework by looking up your prospective consultant in the medical directory. This may occasionally prompt you to include information that you might otherwise have left out. For example, you may find that the consultant qualified in Scotland and has previously worked in Scotland for a considerable time, and you may decide to add in your CV that you studied in a Scottish secondary school. Since the CV is only used as for initial screening, you need not go into your previous experience or extracurricular activities in too much detail. Highlight only the most significant points, and leave the details for the interview. If you are applying for a clinical post, one of your referees should be a consultant for whom you have worked as a student. You should ask for permission to use his/her name before submitting your application. 

(2) Application for research scholarship or PhD studentship The CV and application form are sometimes used as the sole selection instrument, and you must make enquiries before you submit your application. Clearly, academic ability is the main criterion for selection, and you should include as much information relevant to your academic ability and interests as you can. Examples are your A levels, your BSc dissertation, any publications (even in the form of a letter in newspaper), any experience as an editor (for example, for your school magazine). Your extracurricular activities are less important, and you can simply give a short list. At least one of the referees should be an academic - for example, your previous supervisor in your BSc degree.
 
(3) Application to join a clinical course in another medical school Preclinical students who have completed an intercalated degree often have the option of applying to join a clinical course in another medical school, although it may become more difficult to do so with the introduction of the new GMC curriculum. Your CV is usually used for shortlisting candidates for interview. The criteria differ slightly among medical schools, but both academic ability and contribution to university life are important. Hence, not only should you highlight your academic achievements but you must also highlight your participation in the university (for example, in sports or music). 

(4) For the information of your tutor or counsellor For most medical schools, you are allocated a tutor who provides both academic and non-academic support and monitors your progress throughout your study on a confidential basis. Students are sometimes asked to submit their up to date CV to their tutors for information. Assuming that the tutors are helpful there is little to gain from over emphasising your strengths or hiding your weaknesses. Once you become a doctor in training after you qualify you will need to undergo an annual assessment of your progress. It serves to certify that you have reached a satisfactory standard, but it is also used as an aid to identify and help with your weaknesses. You may find it difficult to balance these two purposes in presenting your CV. General principles on presentation Now that all students are computer literate, there should be few problems in preparing a well presented CV. The following list serves as a reminder on how to present your CV effectively: Spelling or grammar mistakes - do not rely purely on the spell check on your computer. Ask friends to proofread your CV for you. Consistency - The use of punctuation to open and close sentences, justification, and fonts should be consistent. Readability - The headings should be clear. The font size should be no less than 12 point. Basic criteria - The basic criteria should be easily located, preferably on the first page. Length - The length of your CV increases as you progress up the professional ladder. For students, it should generally be no more than three pages. Quality of print - The CV should be printed on good quality paper, preferably using a laser printer. Practical points In this article, I argue that different versions of a CV may be required for different purposes. Even applications for different posts in the same specialty may require slightly different versions. Also, CVs need to be updated regularly. This would have been time consuming to achieve in the past, but it is now quite simple, with the aid of a basic word processing package. A master CV containing all relevant information should be prepared and saved as a computer file. This should be continuously kept up to date. When the need for a CV arises, it can be tailormade by editing the master document. It is important to save each of these edited versions separately, with the file names indicating the date when it was created and the purpose. It is also important to prepare a cover letter to go with the CV. Key messages A good CV is essential for successful progression up the medical professional ladder The contents of the CV should be tailormade for the purpose it is used for and the criteria against which it is judged. It is important to gather information about these criteria first The CV must be technically well presented, with the basic criteria easily located Information technology has made it simple to regularly update our CVs and allows preparation of different versions of a CV for different purposes with relative ease.

Reference:

Prepare a curriculum vitae. BMJ 1978;25(2):1478-9.
O'Brien E. Prepare a curriculum vitae. In: Reece D, ed. 
How to do it. Vol 1. London: BMJ Publishing Group, 1995 Chambler AF, Chapman-Sheath PJ, Pearse MF. 
A model curriculum vitae: what are the trainers looking for? Hosp Med 1998;59(4):324-6.

More at http://www.binc.co.in/College/Index_New.aspx

BINC notification http://www.binc.co.in/PdfDocuments/Notification.pdf

Few dates to remember:

Starting of online submission of application: March 9, 2015
Last date for submission of application: April 30,2015
Examination consists of two parts:
Part I (Paper I) : June 7, 2015 (10 AM-12 PM)
Part II ( Paper II & III) :June 28, 2015 (9 AM-12 PM & 2 PM-4 PM)