Anja Spang appointed Professor by special appointment of Symbioses in Evolution

Prof. Anja Spang - Dr. Anja Spang has been named Professor by special appointment of Symbioses in Evolution at the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The chair was established on behalf of NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, one of the nine institutes of NWO-I. Anja Spang is interested in the diversity of life on Earth and how evolution is influenced by symbiosis: an association between different species that may, but do not necessarily, benefit each other. Symbiosis has played a role in major evolutionary transitions including the origin of eukaryotes, the complex organisms that contain a cell nucleus, such as fungi, plants and animals. Relating branches. In her work, Spang hopes to improve knowledge on the deep roots of microbial life and key evolutionary transitions. "Our knowledge of the tree of life is continuously improving and many new branches have been added during recent years.