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I am an evolutionary biologist aiming to understand the genetic basis of the evolution of species and populations. I have focused my research on the adaptive immune diversity (MHC system), which plays a crucial role in disease resistance. I have used different model species (birds, cartilaginous and bony fishes) and state-of-the-art molecular technologies to detangle the evolutionary mechanisms at the origin and in the maintenance of the extraordinarily high level of polymorphism exhibited by the MHC genes.
Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Arnaud Gaigher

Citation names

  • Gaigher, Arnaud

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
E712-81D6-E4A1
ORCID iD
0000-0002-2176-1488
Google Scholar ID
https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=V6gDRlUAAAAJ&hl=fr
Scopus Author Id
55587433600

Email addresses

  • arnaud.gaigher@uni-hamburg.de (Professional)
  • arnaud.gaigher@gmail.com (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Evolutionary Biology

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
French (Mother tongue)
English Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
Portuguese Beginner (A1) Elementary (A2) Beginner (A1) Elementary (A2)
Education
Degree Classification
2012/03 - 2017/09
Concluded
 Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences (Doctorat)
Université de Lausanne Département d'écologie et évolution, Switzerland
"MHC evolutionary ecology in European barn owls (Tyto alba)" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2009/09 - 2011/06
Concluded
 Master of Science in Ecology, Biodiversity, Evolution (Master)
Sorbonne Université Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, France
"Assessing the level of gene flow between populations of Lampetra fluviatilis and Lampetra planeri" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2006/09 - 2009/06
Concluded
 Bachelor of Science (Licence)
Université de Rennes 1 - Campus de Beaulieu, France
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2020/09 - Current Postdoc (Research) Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Switzerland
Universität Hamburg Fachbereich Biologie, Germany
(...)
2019/09 - 2020/08 Postdoc (Research) Universidade do Porto Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
Universidade do Porto Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
2018/07 - 2019/06 Postdoc (Research) Université de Lausanne Département de biologie computationnelle, Switzerland
Université de Lausanne Département de biologie computationnelle, Switzerland
2018/03 - 2018/06 Research Trainee (Research) Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève, Switzerland
Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève, Switzerland
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2023/11/01 - Current Target gene capture for screening MHC diversity in sharks
FSBI-RG22-446
Principal investigator
Fisheries Society of the British Isles
Ongoing
2020 - Current Evolutionary significance of exceptionally long MHC haplotypes and their role in disease genetics
P2LAP3-187659
Principal investigator
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Ongoing

Contract

Designation Funders
2019/09 - 2020/08 E-IMUNO: Applying elasmobranch immunogenetics to fisheries management and the study of vertebrate adaptive immunity
PTDC/ASP-PES/28053/2017
Post-doc
Universidade do Porto Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
2018/07 - 2019/06 Co-evolution of melanogenic genes in vertebrates
Post-doc
Université de Lausanne Département de biologie computationnelle, Switzerland

Other

Designation Funders
2017/05 - Current Life-history traits and MHC selection in a wild population of Barn owl (Tyto alba)
Supervisor
Université de Lausanne Département d'écologie et évolution, Switzerland
Ongoing
2018/03 - 2018/06 Phylogenetic relationships among lycaenid butterfly species using Rad sequencing data
Research Trainee
Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève, Switzerland
Outputs

Publications

Conference poster
  1. Gaigher, Arnaud; Eizaguirre, Christophe ; Kalbe, Martin ; Milinski, Manfred ; Lenz, Tobias L.. "High MHCIIß divergence associated with survival and parasite resistance in sticklebacks". Paper presented in European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), 2022.
  2. Gaigher A; Roulin A; Salamin N. "Evolution of melanogenic genes in vertebrates". Paper presented in Computational Biology Retreat, 2018.
  3. Gaigher A; Burri R; Gharib WH; Antoniazza S; Taberlet P; Roulin A; Fumagalli L. "MHC evolutionary ecology in European barn owls (Tyto alba)". Paper presented in Biology'16, 2016.
  4. Gaigher A; Burri R; Gharib WH; Antoniazza S; Henry I; Taberlet P; Roulin A; Fumagalli L. "Spatial pattern of MHC diversity in barn owl (Tyto alba)". Paper presented in European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), 2015.
  5. Gaigher A; Burri R; Gharib WH; Antoniazza S; Henry I; Taberlet P; Roulin A; Fumagalli L. "MHC evolutionary ecology in European barn owls (Tyto alba)". Paper presented in Biology'14, 2014.
  6. Gaigher A; Burri R; Roulin A; Fumagalli L. "MHC evolutionary ecology in European barn owls (Tyto alba)". Paper presented in European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), 2013.
Journal article
  1. Artemis Efstratiou; Arnaud Gaigher; Sven Künzel; Ana Teles; Tobias L. Lenz. "Template-specific optimization of NGS genotyping pipelines reveals allele-specific variation in MHC gene expression". Molecular Ecology Resources (2024): https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13935.
    10.1111/1755-0998.13935
  2. Diana Ferreira; Luis M. San-Jose; Alexandre Roulin; Arnaud Gaigher; Luca Fumagalli. "Limited associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success in a bird species with biparental care". Ecology and Evolution (2024): https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10950.
    10.1002/ece3.10950
  3. Veríssimo, Ana; Castro, L Filipe C; Muñoz-Mérida, Antonio; Almeida, Tereza; Gaigher, Arnaud; Neves, Fabiana; Flajnik, Martin F; Ohta, Yuko. "An Ancestral Major Histocompatibility Complex Organization in Cartilaginous Fish: Reconstructing MHC Origin and Evolution". Molecular Biology and Evolution 40 12 (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msad262.
    10.1093/molbev/msad262
  4. Gaigher, Arnaud; Rota, Alessia; Neves, Fabiana; Muñoz-Mérida, Antonio; Blasco-Aróstegui, Javier; Almeida, Tereza; Veríssimo, Ana. "Extensive MHC class IIß diversity across multiple loci in the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)". Scientific Reports 13 1 (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30876-6.
    10.1038/s41598-023-30876-6
  5. Fabiana Neves; Antonio Muñoz-Mérida; André M. Machado; Tereza Almeida; Arnaud Gaigher; Pedro J. Esteves; L. Filipe C. Castro; Ana Veríssimo. "Uncovering a 500 million year old history and evidence of pseudogenization for TLR15". Frontiers in Immunology 13 (2022): http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1020601.
    10.3389/fimmu.2022.1020601
  6. Tereza Almeida; Yuko Ohta; Arnaud Gaigher; Antonio Muñoz-Mérida; Fabiana Neves; L. Filipe C. Castro; André M. Machado; et al. "A Highly Complex, MHC-Linked, 350 Million-Year-Old Shark Nonclassical Class I Lineage". The Journal of Immunology (2021): ji2000851-ji2000851. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2000851.
    10.4049/jimmunol.2000851
  7. Almeida T; Gaigher A; Muñoz-Mérida A; Neves F; Castro LFC; Flajnik MF; Ohta Y; Esteves PJ; Veríssimo A. "Cartilaginous fish class II genes reveal unprecedented old allelic lineages and confirm the late evolutionary emergence of DM.". Molecular immunology (2020): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/33126081.
    10.1016/j.molimm.2020.10.003
  8. Gaigher A; Burri R; San-Jose LM; Roulin A; Fumagalli L. "Lack of statistical power as a major limitation in understanding MHC-mediated immunocompetence in wild vertebrate populations". Molecular Ecology (2019): https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15276.
    10.1111/mec.15276
  9. Gaigher A; Roulin A; Gharib WH; Taberlet P; Burri R; Fumagalli L. "Lack of evidence for selection favouring MHC haplotypes that combine high functional diversity.". Heredity (2018): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/29362475.
    10.1038/s41437-017-0047-9
  10. Gaigher A; Burri R; Gharib WH; Taberlet P; Roulin A; Fumagalli L. "Family-assisted inference of the genetic architecture of major histocompatibility complex variation.". Molecular ecology resources (2016): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/27176619.
    10.1111/1755-0998.12537
  11. Ducret V; Gaigher A; Simon C; Goudet J; Roulin A. "Sex-specific allelic transmission bias suggests sexual conflict at MC1R.". Molecular ecology (2016): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/27480981.
    10.1111/mec.13781
  12. Burri R; Antoniazza S; Gaigher A; Ducrest AL; Simon C; European Barn Owl Network; Fumagalli L; Goudet J; Roulin A. "The genetic basis of color-related local adaptation in a ring-like colonization around the Mediterranean.". Evolution; international journal of organic evolution (2016): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/26773815.
    10.1111/evo.12824
  13. Rougemont Q; Gaigher A; Lasne E; Côte J; Coke M; Besnard AL; Launey S; Evanno G. "Low reproductive isolation and highly variable levels of gene flow reveal limited progress towards speciation between European river and brook lampreys.". Journal of evolutionary biology (2015): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/26348652.
    10.1111/jeb.12750
  14. Antoniazza S; Kanitz R; Neuenschwander S; Burri R; Gaigher A; Roulin A; Goudet J. "Natural selection in a postglacial range expansion: the case of the colour cline in the European barn owl.". Molecular ecology (2014): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/25294501.
    10.1111/mec.12957
  15. Gaigher A; Launey S; Lasne E; Besnard AL; Evanno G. "Characterization of thirteen microsatellite markers in river and brook lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis and L. planeri)". Conservation Genetics Resources (2012): https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs12686-012-9753-z.
    10.1007/s12686-012-9753-z
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. Gaigher, Arnaud. "MHC evolutionary ecology in European barn owls (Tyto alba)". PhD, Université de Lausanne Département d'écologie et évolution, 2017.
  2. Gaigher, Arnaud. "Assessing the level of gene flow between populations of Lampetra fluviatilis and Lampetra planeri". Master, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture l’Alimentation et l’Environnement Centre Bretagne-Normandie, 2011.
  3. Gaigher, Arnaud. "Estimating the degree of reproductive isolation between two closely related species of lamprey (Lampetra planeri and Lampetra fluviatilis)". Master, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture l’Alimentation et l’Environnement Centre Bretagne-Normandie, 2010.
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2022/10/13 Geographic distribution of MHC genetic diversity in the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) Sharks International 2022
2019 Unraveling the adaptive immune genetic diversity in the European barn owl: From methodological to biological perspectives Welcome Seminar in Biodiversity and Evolution
CIBIO-InBIO (Portugal)
2017 Spatial pattern of immune gene variation in European barn owl (Tyto alba) Biology'17
University of Bern (Switzerland)
2016 MHC diversity linked to fitness-related traits (Flash talk) Biology'16
University of Lausanne (Switzerland)
2015 MHC evolution in European barn owl populations (Tyto alba) Internal Seminar in Ecology and Evolution
University of Lausanne (Switzerland)

Supervision

Thesis Title
Role 		Degree Subject (Type)
Institution / Organization
2017/06 - Current Life-history traits and MHC selection in a wild population of Barn owl (Tyto alba)
Co-supervisor
Université de Lausanne Département d'écologie et évolution, Switzerland
2022/02 - 2022/09 Copy-number variation and allele co-segregation in MHC IIß genes of the small spotted catshark - insights from family data
Co-supervisor
Universidade do Porto Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
2020/02 - 2021/06 Genetic characterization of MHC IIB genes in Elasmobranchs
Co-supervisor
Universidade do Porto Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
2018/07 - 2018/08 Evolution of the avian melanogenic genes
Co-supervisor
Université de Lausanne Département de biologie computationnelle, Switzerland

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2016/06/02 - 2016/06/05 Responsible for the organization, installation and execution of activities at the University of Lausanne open day for scientific popularization to the general public “Mystères de l’UNIL” (2016/06/02 - 2016/06/05)
Exhibition
 Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2015/08/10 - 2015/08/14 Organization team member of the 2015 Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) in Lausanne (2015/08/10 - 2015/08/14)
Congress
 Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2013/05/30 - 2013/06/02 Responsible for the organization, installation and execution of activities at the University of Lausanne open day for scientific popularization to the general public “Mystères de l’UNIL” (2013/05/30 - 2013/06/02)
Exhibition
 Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland

Ad Hoc journal article review

Journal title (ISSN) Publisher
2024 - 2024 Heredity
2023 - 2023 Heredity
2023 - 2023 Conservation Genetics
2023 - 2023 Molecular Ecology
2023 - 2023 Immunogenetics
2022 - 2022 Genome Biology and Evolution
2021 - 2021 Frontiers in Immunology
2021 - 2021 Molecular Ecology
2020 - 2020 Molecular Ecology Resources
2020 - 2020 Molecular Ecology
2020 - 2020 Scientific Reports
2019 - 2019 Journal of Evolutionary Biology
2019 - 2019 Molecular Ecology Resources
2018 - 2018 Biology Letters
2018 - 2018 Heredity
2018 - 2018 Ibis
2017 - 2017 BMC Evolutionary Biology
2017 - 2017 BMC Research Notes

Course / Discipline taught

Academic session Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2019/03 - 2019/05 Population genetics (Bachelor) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2018/10 - 2018/10 Molecular Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2016/10 - 2016/11 Phylogeography (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2016/03 - 2016/05 Population genetics (Bachelor) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2015/10 - 2015/11 Phylogeography (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2015/03 - 2015/05 Population genetics (Bachelor) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2014/10 - 2014/11 Phylogeography (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2014/10 - 2014/10 Molecular Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2014/03 - 2014/05 Population genetics (Bachelor) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2013/10 - 2013/11 Phylogeography (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2013/10 - 2013/10 Molecular Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2013/03 - 2013/05 Population genetics (Bachelor) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2012/10 - 2012/11 Phylogeography (Master) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland
2012/03 - 2012/06 Zoology (Bachelor) Université de Lausanne Faculté de biologie et médecine, Switzerland

Other jury / evaluation

Activity description Institution / Organization
2022 - 2022 Reviewer of a grant proposal for the National Science Center Poland (NCN)
Distinctions

Award

2016 Best poster in Evolution at Biology’16 congress (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Other distinction

2023 FSBI grant (£7463)
Fisheries Society of the British Isles, United Kingdom
2019 SNSF Grant (108'350 CHF)
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Switzerland
2017 SAV Grant (8’000 CHF)
Société Académique Vaudoise (SAV), Switzerland