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School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences

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Molecular adaptations underlying dietary specialisations in bats

  • Primary Supervisor:  Prof Stephen Rossiter 
  • Co-supervisor(s):  Prof Aaron Irving
  • Studentship Funding: Awaiting CSC Funding Decision
  • Application Deadline: 28th January 2026
  • PhD Programme: PhD Biological Sciences 

Project Overview 

This project aims to uncover molecular adaptations that underpin the unique innate immune responses of bats. Bats are exceptional among mammals in their ability to tolerate high viral loads without developing disease, making them an outstanding system for studying immune resilience and host–pathogen evolution. The student will investigate signatures of adaptive evolution in coding and regulatory regions of key innate immune genes—such as pattern recognition receptors, interferon-stimulated genes, and antiviral effectors—across a wide diversity of bat species. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses will be used to identify lineage-specific changes associated with immune tolerance and inflammation control. Depending on the candidates research background, there will be opportunities to perform experimental validation of candidate genes in collaboration with collaborating laboratories in Cambridge (Prof Clare Bryant) and Guangzhou, integrating molecular evolution, functional genomics, and immunology to reveal the mechanisms that allow bats to coexist with viruses that are pathogenic in other mammals.

Research Environment

The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary offers a multi-disciplinary research environment that is home to around 150 PhD students working across the biological and behavioural sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.

The Rossiter group has a strong international track record of research on the molecular ecology and evolution of bats and other mammals.

Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.

Keywords: phylogenetics, immunity, molecular evolution.

Funding & Eligibility

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 28th January 2026. 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. 

Entry Requirements

We are looking for candidates who have a Bachelor’s degree (score >80%) and either have, or are currently doing, or a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project (e.g. molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, phylogenetics). Knowledge of coding and/or quantitative skills will be an advantage.

You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 1st March 2026. 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.

Please find further details on our English Language requirements page.

How to Apply

Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 28th January 2026 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 Stephen Rossiter

Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@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


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