معرفی
Rike Stelkens is an Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology at Stockholm University, where she leads the Stelkens Lab. Her research focuses on evolutionary biology, particularly using yeast as a model system to study how populations adapt to environmental stress and change.
Dr. Stelkens' research interests center on evolutionary adaptation, with particular emphasis on:
- Genetic and phenotypic responses to environmental stress
- Adaptation in deteriorating or poor quality environments
- Hybridization and its role in evolutionary processes
- Population genetics of adaptation
- Thermal performance curve evolution
- Genetic architecture of adaptive traits
Her research group uses baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and its wild relatives as model systems, employing experimental evolution, whole genome sequencing, transcriptomics, and phenotyping. They work with populations ranging from clonal (genetically identical) to extremely diverse hybrid swarms, propagating them for hundreds of generations to observe evolution in action. Their work combines time-series analysis of fitness and genomic data from frozen 'fossil records' to parse the contributions of mutation, genetic drift, recombination, and selection to adaptation dynamics.
Analysis of Dr. Stelkens' recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a strong thematic focus on thermal adaptation, hybrid evolution, and genomic approaches to understanding evolutionary processes. Her work spans both fundamental evolutionary questions and applied research with implications for climate change adaptation and industrial applications like brewing.
Dr. Stelkens has received funding from multiple prestigious sources:
- Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council)
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- Carl Tryggers Stiftelse
- Science for Life Laboratories
- Erik Philip-Sörensens Stiftelse
- Wenner Gren Foundations
- Stockholm University
- Royal Physiographic Society of Lund
She actively mentors Master's students and has advertised for postdoctoral researchers to join her lab. Her research group, the Stelkens Lab, is an international team of evolutionary biologists investigating how populations evolve to adapt to environmental stress, with a particular focus on yeast as a model system that provides powerful genetic tools and high-quality reference genomes.
