Rhianah Sandean

I completed my BSc in biological sciences at the University of Liverpool in 2022, where I developed a particular interest in bioinformatics. This led me to pursue an MSc in Bioinformatics at the University of Nottingham, which I completed in 2023. 

Following my MSc, I joined the Yant Lab as a research assistant where I worked on establishing a genome assembly pipeline for both diploid and complex polyploid Cochlearia genomes. Through this work, I developed a strong interest in genome evolution, particularly how genomes adapt and evolve following whole genome duplication.

This ultimately led me to pursue a PhD within the same lab, where I am now investigating genome architecture, structural variation, and genome evolution in polyploid cochlearia. 

My PhD research focuses on understanding how genome architecture, structural variation and DNA repair processes evolve following whole genome duplication (WGD) to facilitate adaptation in polyploids, using Cochlearia as a model system. 

To achieve this, I will first aim to characterise the centromere and karyotype evolution by investigating the evolutionary dynamics of satellite DNA, repeat families and structural variation within centromeric regions across the Cochlearia genus. The abundance in satellite DNA within Cochlearia centromeres presents a unique opportunity to investigate centromere composition and it's role within genome duplication. 

Alongside this, I will also investigate the origin and genomic basis of invasiveness in the allohexaploid Cochlearia danica. This work will hopefully identify the parental origins of C.danica, and trace genome fractionation and gene presence-absence patterns associated with it's invasive phenotype. 

Ultimately, I aim to assess whether candidate DNA repair and recombination genes under strong selection in young autotetraploid Cochlearia generate distinct structural variant "mutator spectra" through a large scale pangenomic analysis. 

University of Liverpool - Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences 

University of Nottingham - Master of Science, Bioinformatics