David Doležel was awarded ERC Consolidator Grant for research on insect biorhythms
David Doležel of the Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, achieved an extraordinary success in the tough grant competition of the European Research Council (ERC). As the only one grantee of the Czech Republic he won the ERC Consolidator Grant, which is awarded to outstanding researchers with at least seven and up to 12 years of experience after PhD, and a scientific track record showing great promise. The grant fall under the 'Excellent Science' pillar of Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme.
As David Doležel himself commented, this is the success of the entire research group. “Without capable PhD students, postdocs and technicians, there would be nothing to write about. Now we are provided with a great support for five years, which means both security of employment for people who made a contribution to this, as well as enough time and resources to concentrate on the most interesting topics that are experimentally also the most difficult."
Although we know thousands species of insects with the ability of measuring the daylength and by then anticipating seasonal changes, the actual mechanism of the time sensing remains unclear as to the molecular, genetic and anatomical level. How does the seasonal measurement of the daylength (photoperiod) in insects work? What is the molecular and anatomical basis of this photoperiodic timer? How is the geographic variability of this timer secured? These are questions that Dolezel's team will be focused on in a project called "Insect Photoperiodic Timer". The project with funding of 2 million EURO aims to define the first molecular characterization of the seasonal photoperiodic timer in insects. Deciphering mechanisms underpinning widespread adaptation might bring general implications for environment-friendly pest control.
