Genomic tools are becoming essential in biological investigations that relate to agriculture, medicine, biotechnology and biodiversity science. Moreover, evolutionary concepts and an evolutionary genomics perspective are becoming central to interpret any new finding in these fields and develop forward approaches for problem solving. The potential of evolutionary genomics is unparalleled as it provides key insights into our understanding of many fundamental and applied questions such as the evolutionary history of life on earth and the molecular bases of adaptation of species in response to environmental changes in natural populations and crop improvement. However, the maturation of evolutionary thinking in these fields involving genomic approaches is an ongoing process and needs to be supported by initiatives that will update key analytical, conceptual and experimental innovations in evolutionary genomics. The objective of the proposed conference is to make such synthesis possible by bringing leaders in the field together to discuss their ongoing research and vision of where the field is moving over the coming years. Accordingly, we aim at fostering the link between functional and evolutionary perspectives towards an integrative approach of evolutionary genomics, and propose a conference with: two sessions on evolutionary systems biology and experimental evolution; one session on genome evolution; two sessions on theoretical and empirical population genomics. Because evolutionary genomics largely focuses on processes (how mutations arise and fix in populations) and systems biology on functions (how mutations are translated into phenotypes), we are convinced that this combination will allow to progress towards a better understanding of evolutionary processes and its applications. Besides this focus on an integrative approach, a second aim of the conference is to bring together evolutionary genomic researchers working on a large panel of organisms, from bacteria to humans, including e.g. plants and fungi, in order to foster the cross-exchange of evolutionary concepts, analytical methods and experimental approaches. ... [Information of the supplier]
