Dr Hollie Marshall

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Scientific Background

Research Interests

The lab focuses on epigenetic transgenerational inheritance in arthropod model organisms (i.e. insects and crustaceans). Specifically:

transgenerational consequences of environmental exposure, e.g. chemical pollution, microplastics, climate change.
epigenetic mechanisms as biomarkers of exposure and population health, with application to species conservation.
the role of epigenetic mechanisms in species adaptation to environmental change, i.e. population epigenomics.

Please visit Dr Marshall's lab page:

Scientific Inspiration

My PhD and MSc supervisors 鈥� they both have different approaches to science, but they taught me you can work hard and play hard, you don鈥檛 need to sacrifice your personal life or your career.

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Organised, supportive, relaxed.

Provision of Training

I expect you to identify your own training needs, I can provide support in identifying suitable courses. Key wet-lab and bioinformatic training will be delivered in-lab by myself or the team.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I expect you to take full ownership of your progression but come to me when you need help. We have weekly lab meetings and bi-weekly 1-on-1 meetings to keep you on track.

Communication

I tend to work on-campus 7:30-3:30 Mon-Fri and have an open-door policy. I may email you at random times, but I only expect you to reply during your chosen working hours.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once a week

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once a fortnight

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once a fortnight

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once a month

These meetings will mainly be face to face, and I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

Working Pattern

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings), I expect students to manage their own time

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week鈥檚 notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Environmental imprinting: heritable epigenetic memory of past pollution events

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Environmental imprinting: heritable epigenetic memory of past pollution events

Secondary Supervisor(s): Professor Eamonn Mallon

University of Registration: University of Leicester

BBSRC Research Themes:

Sustainable Agriculture and Food (Animal Health and Welfare)
Understanding the Rules of Life (Systems Biology)
Integrated Understanding of Health (Diet and Health)

Project Outline

Environmental insults (pollution / heat stress) can cause heritable phenotypic outcomes in both wild animal populations and humans. These outcomes can be mediated by epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation. However, epigenetic inheritance is difficult to study in mammals due to long generation times and need for ethical practices. We therefore use New Approach Methodologies, such as ecologically responsive invertebrates, to identify the mechanisms underpinning heritable environmentally induced phenotypic outcomes.

Using the marine amphipod, Parhyale hawaiensis (a key developmental model species), this project will determine the extent to which environmentally induced DNA methylation changes are heritable and whether parental sex or genetic background influence heritability.

Ob1. Identify environmentally induced phenotypic changes in adult and offspring P. hawaiensis: you will use ecotoxicology techniques to carry out chemical/heat exposures and measure fitness traits (e.g., growth, fecundity).

Ob2. Identify environmentally induced DNA methylation changes in adult and offspring P. hawaiensis: using Nanopore Sequencing you will identify DNA methylation changes via bioinformatic pipelines.

Ob3. Determine the extent to which heritable DNA methylation marks are influenced by parental genotype, sex and exposure history: you will create complex reciprocal crosses and develop state-of-the-art allele-specific epigenomic bioinformatic pipelines.

Ob4. Determine if the observed heritable epigenetic changes directly cause the observed phenotypic changes: you will attempt to alter DNA methylation via CRISPR-Cas gene editing.

Project environment: this is an interdisciplinary project which will provide you will skills in ecotoxicology, bioinformatics and molecular epigenetics 鈥� opening doors for a career in a wide range of sectors.

Co-supervisor on projects with Dr Fabian Freund and Dr Ko-Fan Chen.

91福利

Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership