Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter
Associate Professor

Jan Engelstaedter

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 57959

Background

I am broadly interested in the evolutionary biology of sexual processes, parasitism, and the interplay between these phenomena. Most of my work involves mathematical models, but I also do experimental and field work. Currently, my research focuses on the following topics:

  • Reproductive parasites. These parasites, which include the famous bacterium Wolbachia, infect many insect species and manipulate the reproduction of their hosts in fascinating ways.
  • Recombination in bacteria. Bacteria reproduce clonally, but many still exchange genes with other bacteria, for example through plasmids or the uptake of free DNA from the environment. I'm especially interested in how recombination can affect the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
  • Host-parasite coevolution. Hosts and parasites interact in an antagonistic manner, which may produce interesting coevolutionary dynamics. I am also scrutinizing the Red Queen hypothesis, which posits that host-parasite coevolution can produce selection for recombination and sexual reproduction.
  • Parthenogenesis in animals. Although most animals reproduce sexually, some species have given up sex and consist of asexually reproducing females only. I am interested in the factors that enhance or inhibit the evolution of such parthenogenetic species and on their long-term evolutionary fate.

http://engelstaedterlab.org/

Availability

Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University College London

Search Professor Jan Engelstaedter’s works on UQ eSpace

81 works between 2004 and 2025
All (81) Journal Article (75) Other Outputs (4) Conference Publication (1) Book Chapter (1)

21 - 40 of 81 works

2021

Journal Article

Complete, closed and curated genome sequences of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida isolates from Australia indicate mobilome-driven localized evolution and novel pathogenicity determinants

Baseggio, Laura, Rudenko, Oleksandra, Buller, Nicky, Landos, Matt, Englestädter, Jan and Barnes, Andrew C. (2021). Complete, closed and curated genome sequences of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida isolates from Australia indicate mobilome-driven localized evolution and novel pathogenicity determinants. Microbial Genomics, 7 (4) 000562, 1-14. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000562

Complete, closed and curated genome sequences of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida isolates from Australia indicate mobilome-driven localized evolution and novel pathogenicity determinants

2021

Book Chapter

The molecular clock as a tool for understanding host-parasite evolution

Warnock, Rachel C. M. and Engelstädter, Jan (2021). The molecular clock as a tool for understanding host-parasite evolution. The evolution and fossil record of parasitism: coevolution and paleoparasitological techniques. (pp. 417-450) edited by Kenneth De Baets and John Warren Huntley. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-52233-9_13

The molecular clock as a tool for understanding host-parasite evolution

2020

Journal Article

A Two-Locus System with Strong Epistasis Underlies Rapid Parasite-Mediated Evolution of Host Resistance

Ameline, Camille, Bourgeois, Yann, Vögtli, Felix, Savola, Eevi, Andras, Jason, Engelstädter, Jan and Ebert, Dieter (2020). A Two-Locus System with Strong Epistasis Underlies Rapid Parasite-Mediated Evolution of Host Resistance. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38 (4), 1512-1528. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaa311

A Two-Locus System with Strong Epistasis Underlies Rapid Parasite-Mediated Evolution of Host Resistance

2020

Journal Article

Evolutionary epidemiology of Streptococcus iniae: linking mutation rate dynamics with adaptation to novel immunological landscapes

Rudenko, Oleksandra, Engelstädter, Jan and Barnes, Andrew C. (2020). Evolutionary epidemiology of Streptococcus iniae: linking mutation rate dynamics with adaptation to novel immunological landscapes. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 85 104435, 104435. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104435

Evolutionary epidemiology of Streptococcus iniae: linking mutation rate dynamics with adaptation to novel immunological landscapes

2020

Journal Article

Wolbachia host shifts: routes, mechanisms, constraints and evolutionary consequences

Sanaei, Ehsan, Charlat, Sylvain and Engelstädter, Jan (2020). Wolbachia host shifts: routes, mechanisms, constraints and evolutionary consequences. Biological Reviews, 96 (2) brv.12663, 433-453. doi: 10.1111/brv.12663

Wolbachia host shifts: routes, mechanisms, constraints and evolutionary consequences

2020

Journal Article

Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals enhance the transmission of exogenous antibiotic resistance genes through bacterial transformation

Wang, Yue, Lu, Ji, Engelstädter, Jan, Zhang, Shuai, Ding, Pengbo, Mao, Likai, Yuan, Zhiguo, Bond, Philip L. and Guo, Jianhua (2020). Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals enhance the transmission of exogenous antibiotic resistance genes through bacterial transformation. The ISME Journal: multidisciplinary journal of microbial ecology, 14 (8), 2179-2196. doi: 10.1038/s41396-020-0679-2

Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals enhance the transmission of exogenous antibiotic resistance genes through bacterial transformation

2019

Journal Article

Science policies: how should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective

Meirmans, Stephanie, Butlin, Roger K., Charmantier, Anne, Engelstädter, Jan, Groot, Astrid T., King, Kayla C., Kokko, Hanna, Reid, Jane M. and Neiman, Maurine (2019). Science policies: how should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 32 (8) jeb.13497, 754-768. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13497

Science policies: how should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective

2019

Journal Article

The dynamics of preferential host switching: host phylogeny as a key predictor of parasite distribution

Engelstädter, Jan and Fortuna, Nicole Z. (2019). The dynamics of preferential host switching: host phylogeny as a key predictor of parasite distribution. Evolution, 73 (7) evo.13716, 1330-1340. doi: 10.1111/evo.13716

The dynamics of preferential host switching: host phylogeny as a key predictor of parasite distribution

2018

Other Outputs

Evolutionary epidemiology of Streptococcus iniae: linking mutation rate dynamics with adaptation to novel immunological landscapes

Silayeva, Oleksandra, Engelstädter, Jan and Barnes, Andrew C (2018). Evolutionary epidemiology of Streptococcus iniae: linking mutation rate dynamics with adaptation to novel immunological landscapes. doi: 10.1101/355412

Evolutionary epidemiology of Streptococcus iniae: linking mutation rate dynamics with adaptation to novel immunological landscapes

2018

Journal Article

Strikingly high levels of heterozygosity despite 20 years of inbreeding in a clonal honey bee

Smith, Nicholas M. A., Wade, Claire, Allsopp, Michael H., Harpur, Brock A., Zayed, Amro, Rose, Stephen A., Engelstädter, Jan, Chapman, Nadine C., Yagound, Boris and Oldroyd, Benjamin P. (2018). Strikingly high levels of heterozygosity despite 20 years of inbreeding in a clonal honey bee. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 32 (2) jeb.13397, 144-152. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13397

Strikingly high levels of heterozygosity despite 20 years of inbreeding in a clonal honey bee

2017

Journal Article

Reversing resistance: Different routes and common themes across pathogens

Allen, Richard C., Engelstädter, Jan, Bonhoeffer, Sebastian, McDonald, Bruce A. and Hall, Alex R. (2017). Reversing resistance: Different routes and common themes across pathogens. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284 (1863) 20171619, 1-10. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1619

Reversing resistance: Different routes and common themes across pathogens

2017

Journal Article

Asexual but not clonal: evolutionary processes in automictic populations

Engelstaedter, Jan (2017). Asexual but not clonal: evolutionary processes in automictic populations. Genetics, 206 (2), 993-1009. doi: 10.1534/genetics.116.196873

Asexual but not clonal: evolutionary processes in automictic populations

2016

Journal Article

The evolution of recombination rates in finite populations during ecological speciation

Reeve, James, Ortiz-Barrientos, Daniel and Engelstädter, Jan (2016). The evolution of recombination rates in finite populations during ecological speciation. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London - B - Biological Sciences, 283 (1841) 20161243, 20161243. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1243

The evolution of recombination rates in finite populations during ecological speciation

2016

Journal Article

Steady at the wheel: conservative sex and the benefits of bacterial transformation

Ambur, Ole Herman, Engelstaedter, Jan, Johnsen, Pal J., Miller, Eric L. and Rozen, Daniel E. (2016). Steady at the wheel: conservative sex and the benefits of bacterial transformation. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 371 (1706) 20150528, 20150528. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0528

Steady at the wheel: conservative sex and the benefits of bacterial transformation

2016

Journal Article

Evolutionary mysteries in meiosis

Lenormand, Thomas, Engelstaedter, Jan, Johnston, Susan E., Wijnker, Erik and Haag, Christoph R. (2016). Evolutionary mysteries in meiosis. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 371 (1706) 20160001, 20160001. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0001

Evolutionary mysteries in meiosis

2016

Journal Article

The evolutionary dynamics of integrons in changing environments

Engelstadter, Jan, Harms, Klaus and Johnsen, Pal J. (2016). The evolutionary dynamics of integrons in changing environments. ISME Journal, 10 (6), 1296-1307. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2015.222

The evolutionary dynamics of integrons in changing environments

2016

Journal Article

Recombination rate evolution and the origin of species

Ortiz-Barrientos, Daniel, Engelstaedter, Jan and Rieseberg, Loren H. (2016). Recombination rate evolution and the origin of species. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 31 (3), 226-236. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.12.016

Recombination rate evolution and the origin of species

2015

Journal Article

Classic reaction kinetics can explain complex patterns of antibiotic action

zur Wiesch, Pia Abel, Abel, Soeren, Gkotzis, Spyridon, Ocampo, Paolo, Engelstaedter, Jan, Hinkley, Trevor, Magnus, Carsten, Waldor, Matthew K., Udekwu, Klas and Cohen, Ted (2015). Classic reaction kinetics can explain complex patterns of antibiotic action. Science Translational Medicine, 7 (287) 287ra73, 287ra73-287ra73. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaa8760

Classic reaction kinetics can explain complex patterns of antibiotic action

2015

Journal Article

Host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics with generalized success/failure infection genetics

Engelstaedter, Jan (2015). Host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics with generalized success/failure infection genetics. The American Naturalist, 185 (5), E117-E129. doi: 10.1086/680476

Host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics with generalized success/failure infection genetics

2014

Journal Article

The impact of natural transformation on adaptation in spatially structured bacterial populations

Moradigaravand, Danesh and Engelstädter, Jan (2014). The impact of natural transformation on adaptation in spatially structured bacterial populations. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 14 (1) 141, 1-9. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-141

The impact of natural transformation on adaptation in spatially structured bacterial populations

Past funding

  • 2019 - 2024
    Predicting the evolutionary dynamics of adaptation
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Recombination and the genomic landscape of speciation
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Sex and bottlenecks: understanding the evolutionary dynamics of bacterial adaptation
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    The evolution of recombination cold spots during speciation
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013
    The role of fitness interactions in the evolution of multidrug resistance
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Elucidating the role of natural transformation in the evolution of multidrug resistance
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the evolution of intrinsic antibiotic resistance using machine learning

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Rapid evolution and the dynamics and stability of ecological communities.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten, Dr Simon Hart

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The polygenic basis of adaptation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Maddie James, Professor Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The evolution of antibiotic resistance through the lens of ecological competition theory

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The evolution of genetic networks during rapid adaptation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The effects of rapid evolution and phenotypic plasticity on ecological dynamics in fluctuating environments

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten, Dr Simon Hart

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Microbial community dynamics in nonequilibrium systems

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Costs of antibiotic resistance through the lens of resource-competition theory

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of resource fluctuations in structuring microbial communities

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The evolution of genetic networks during polygenic adaptation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Uncovering the role of Chromosomal Inversions in Adaptive Evolution

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos, Dr Maddie James

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Evolutionary systems biology of adaptive radiation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The costs and consequences of antibioitic resistance in fluctuating environments

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten

Completed supervision

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