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Horizontal gene transfer as a driver of novel immune phenotypes

Supervisor :

Dr Lee Henry

Dr Alex De Mendoza

Deadline :

27th January 2027

Funding :

Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary.  Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants. 

 
Applicants must: 

  • Be applying for CSC funding.  
  • Be a citizen and permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China and hold a Chinese passport. 
  • Satisfy all eligibility criteria set out by the CSC and must refer to the CSC website for full details. 
  • Apply to QMUL by 27th January 2027. Late applications will not be considered.  
  • Submit ALL required documentation, including evidence of their English Language ability ahead of the CSC application deadline.  

 

CSC application rules differ slightly for domestic applicants (students applying from China) and overseas applicants (students applying from overseas). Therefore, ALL applicants are advised to see the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.  

 

Project Overview

 

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important driver of evolutionary innovation, allowing organisms to acquire entirely new biological functions from unrelated species. Remarkably, some insects have incorporated bacterial toxin genes into their own genomes, potentially providing novel mechanisms of immune defence. However, how these genes function, protect against natural enemies, and evolve across insect lineages remains largely unknown.

This exciting interdisciplinary PhD project will investigate how horizontally transferred toxins contribute to insect immunity, using aphids as experimental models. Combining cutting-edge molecular, genomic and imaging approaches, the student will explore three key questions:

 

  1. When and where are transferred toxins expressed? Using transcriptomics, protein analyses and advanced imaging techniques, including HCR-FISH and immunofluorescence, the student will investigate how toxin expression responds to parasitoid attack, where toxin transcripts and proteins are localised, and whether toxin proteins interact with developing parasitoids.
  2. How do these toxins protect insects? Using gene perturbation approaches, including RNAi and/or CRISPR, alongside experimental parasitoid challenges, the student will investigate toxin function and the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance.
  3. How widespread is this evolutionary phenomenon? Through comparative genomics and AI-guided protein structure prediction, the student will explore the diversity, evolutionary origins and functional potential of horizontally transferred toxins across insects.

 

The project offers extensive training in molecular biology, bioinformatics, evolutionary genomics and advanced microscopy, providing an excellent foundation for careers in modern bioscience research. Ultimately, it will address a fundamental evolutionary question: How does horizontal gene transfer shape the evolution of novel immune functions across animals?

 

Research Environment 

The successful applicant will join Prof. Lee Henry’s vibrant, internationally recognised research group. The Henry Lab and SBBS offer excellent facilities in genomics, microbiology and molecular biology, supported by substantial external funding. The student will receive advanced training in comparative genomics, gene and protein expression analyses, gene manipulation and advanced imaging. The lab has an outstanding track record of mentoring students towards high-impact publications (e.g., Cunningham et al. 2026 Nature Communications; Pannosian et al. 2026 PNAS) and provides a collaborative, supportive environment for scientific and professional development.

Henry Lab | School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences

 

Entry Requirements 

Candidates should have, or expect to receive, a first or upper-second class honours degree and typically also have a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline, such as Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Ecology or Evolution, or a related field.

Knowledge or experience in molecular biology, genomics, or experimental approaches to studying host–pathogen interactions would be advantageous but is not required.

You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 17th March 2027. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.


Find out more about our entry requirements here.

 

How to Apply

Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 27th January 2027 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application. 

Applicants are required to submit the following documents: 

  • Your CV 
  • Personal Statement 
  • Evidence of English Language e.g.) IELTS Certificate 
  • Copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates  
  • References 

Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.

 

Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Prof. Lee Henry at l.henry@qmul.ac.uk. Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-phd-admissions@qmul.ac.uk

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.  

Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.  

For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage. 

 

Apply Online

 

References

Panossian et al (2026) Phage toxin variants are linked to protection specificity in a defensive symbiont. Molecular Biology and Evolution msag079, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag079.

 

Panossian et al. (2026) Phenotypic divergence is driven by mobile genetic elements in a heritable insect symbiont. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 123, e2607226123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2607226123.

 

Cunningham et al. (2026) Metabolic plasticity supports a flexible nutritional symbiosis in Cardiocondyla ants. Nature Communications 17, 10002. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76801-z.

 

Rinke et al. (2026) Comparative analysis of 163 ant genomes reveals recurrent horizontal gene transfer from bacteria to ants. GigaScience 15, giag043. https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giag043.

 

Verster et al (2023) Evolution of insect innate immunity through domestication of bacterial toxins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 120, e2218334120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2218334120.

 

See Also

 

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