| abstract: |
The New Zealand Estonian-French Research Excellence scheme is based on promoting strong inter-disciplinary research into human genetic and cultural evolution, harnessing the complementary resources of the ERA based institutions and their partner in New Zealand. Its main goal is to couple the existing strengths in the Paris and Tartu groups (large population level samples, frequentist population genetics, phylogeography, and Approximate Bayesian Computational Methods) with those of the Computational Evolution group in New Zealand (Computational approaches to evolution using likelihood-based methods). The collaboration will be two-fold, using existing statistical approaches to cultural and genetic evolution applied to extant ERA-based data sets, whilst developing new analytical approaches for future research projects that anticipate the forthcoming large-scale increases in both genetic data production and computational tractability. These goals will be achieved by balanced staff exchange and training programs throughout the four year period of the proposal, operating at the levels of Experienced and Early-Stage researchers. This will involve (a) theory-driven strategic planning, (b) tightly focused periods of data processing and implementation, (c) joint development of new methodologies, (d) training workshops, and (e) seminars. This exchange program will create a new generation of researchers capable of the inter-disciplinary dialogue required to develop long term research collaborations between the three host institutions and be in a prime position to work with the genome-wide data sets currently in production. |
