Shiraz obtained is PhD at the University of Copenhagen and has worked with bacterial and archaeal antiviral defence systems for more than a decade with 30+ publications on the topic. In the arms race between viruses and host defence systems, they both end up evolving in a modular manner. This means that sets of genes
Biography
Shiraz obtained is PhD at the University of Copenhagen and has worked with bacterial and archaeal antiviral defence systems for more than a decade with 30+ publications on the topic. In the arms race between viruses and host defence systems, they both end up evolving in a modular manner. This means that sets of genes are swapped in and out while things are still functional. The strategy seems to have been invented by evolution to favour successful variation over destructive variation. Over the past decade Shiraz has developed computational methods that account for modularity so we can trace the evolutionary history of viruses and defence systems back deeper than otherwise possible. This has led to better taxonomy and classification of both viruses and defence systems, which is important if we want to wrap our heads around how diverse they are.