Applying to study in Zoology

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Nouar Qutob (Evolutionary Ecology)

An important feature of the University of Cambridge, with its departments and colleges, is its ability to make a smooth link between an excellent academic atmosphere and a pleasant social circle. From both the rich academic and intellectual environment, one comes out with a well-rounded personality. Such a characteristic tempted me to become a part of the University and to pursue a graduate degree here in Cambridge.

Gladly, my experience has been a great one. I am currently the MCR President in my college, Hughes Hall, one of the few mature/graduate colleges in Cambridge. My involvement in the MCR began shortly after I started my graduate research, when I realized the importance it plays in every student's life, and which indeed allowed me to develop valuable personal skills.

As for the academic side, my interest in evolutionary studies drove me to join the Evolutionary Ecology group. Our group works on a broad range of evolutionary and ecological questions. I, personally, work on the geographic apportionment of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) diversity. HLA is a key component of the immune system of vertebrate as it is responsible for the recognition and presentation of antigens and comprises the most polymorphic genes in vertebrates. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain how this diversity could be maintained, which seems to be the product of both past demography and complex selective pressures. One such hypothesis (called Pathogen-Driven Balancing Selection) states that different alleles provide protection against different pathogens. A prediction under this hypothesis is that populations exposed to a wider variety of diseases should be characterised by higher diversity at their HLA genes. This prediction has recently received some support in humans when it was shown that once past demography was accounted for, there is a positive correlation between HLA class I within-population genetic diversity and the number of endemic diseases found in that area. My work so far indicates that the geographic apportionment of HLA diversity is the product of both past demography and complex selective pressures. It also highlights the complexity of the selective process, with the likely involvement of coevolution with KIR genes and marks differences between different classes of genes.