Sam Morris

Position: Master’s by Research

Project: Transcriptome analysis of Dinoponera quadriceps

Research Interests: Eusocial insects are a classic example of phenotypic plasticity, where a wide diversity of morphological and behavioural castes can arise from a shared set of genes. A key goal in genetics is to understand how a single genotype can produce such an array of phenotypes.

I carried out a bio-informatics based research master’s, analysing an RNAseq dataset from several Dinoponera quadriceps individuals. Using various computational methods, my aim was to understand how transcription profiles change with caste, and to identify genes, gene networks and the corresponding cellular functions associated with caste differentiation.

Background: 2012–2015: BSc Biology

Contact: sm15766@bristol.ac.uk