If you're interested in working with us, please get in touch.

If you're looking for a PhD, then send an email with your CV and few lines that explain your background and interests in science, and any research experience you have. We are currently (or will be shortly!) advertising PhD projects for three competitive funding streams:

• "EASTBIO Phylogenomics on-the-fly: An automated evolutionary genomics pipeline for Drosophilidae" with Darren Obbard and Mike Ritchie (via the EastBio doctoral training programme (this year open to all nationalities)
• "E4 The diversity and phylogenomics of Drosophila" with Darren Obbard and Simon Martin (via the E4 doctoral training programme (this year open to all nationalities)
• Projects related to either of the above for non-UK applicants who do not already have a degree from Edinburgh, and who completed their first degree less than five years ago. Fundable through the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh

The closing dates for PhD applications are very early (December 2020 or Jan 2021). Interviews will be held early in the Spring of 2021, and students would start in October 2021. If you want to know more, please email me

Current Lab Members

• Darren Obbard (Group Leader)
• Fergal Waldron (Post Doc)
• Megan Wallace (PhD student)
• Oumie Kuyateh (PhD student)
• Paul McNeil (Technician)
• Yiguan Wang (Post Doc)

Past PhD Students, PostDocs, Research Assistants, and Visitors

• Nathan Medd (PhD Student 2014-2018) Thesis
     Then training and outreach manager for Edinburgh Genomics
• Billy Palmer (PhD Student 2014-2018) Thesis
     Then a Post Doc with Sara Cherry (UPenn)
• Seanna McTaggart (Post Doc 2012-2015)
     Then a research scientist at MRC Technology (Scotland)
• Sam Lewis (PhD student 2011-2015) Thesis
     Then a post-doc with Frank Jiggins
• Pedro Vale (Independent CIIE Research Fellow 2013-2014)
     Then a Chancellor's Research Fellow in Edinburgh
• Claire Webster (Research Assistant, 2008-2013)
     Worked at The National Bee Unit, then with Ted Morrow in sussex
• Daisy Crowson (Research Technician, 2012-2013)
     Then a PhD student with Spencer Barrett
• Giada Ferrari (Research Technician / Visitor, 2012)
     Then a PhD student in Zurich
• Paul Smith (PhD 2009-2012, c/o Tom Little) Thesis
     Then a research scientist at MRC Technology (Scotland)
• Ricardo Ramiro (PhD 2009-2012, c/o Sarah Reece) Thesis
     Then a post-doc with Isabel Gordo
• Shaun Robertson (Research Technician, 2012),
     Then a PhD student with Andrew MacColl
• Ben Longdon (PhD student 2008-2011) Thesis
     A post-doc (Jiggins Lab), then a Henry Dale Fellow (Exeter, mid 2016).

MSc Project students and BSc Honours Project Students

• Ellen Hazelhurst (BSc Hons student 2020)
• Sanjana Ravindran (WT-HPGH MSc Rotation 2018-19)
• Tymek Pieszko (Summer Project 2019)
• Sarah Coates (BSc Hons student 2019)
• Miranda Jarrett (Summer Project 2018)
• Spyros Lytras (Summer Project 2018)
     Then a PhD student at the University of Glasgow
• Alistair Greaves (BSc Hons student 2018)
• Oumie Kuyateh (WT-HPGH MSc Rotation 2017-18)
• Danang Crysnanto (MSc QGGA, Feb-August 2017),
     Then a PhD student at ETH in Zurich
• Cameron McNamara (BSc Hons student 2017)
     Then a PhD student at the University of Glasgow
• Naomi Letley (BSc Hons student 2017)
• Yin Yuen (MSc Biomedical Sciences, October 2016- March 2017)
• Chaoying Wang (MSc Bioinformatics, March-August 2016)
• Jamie Gorzynski (Genetics Society Summer Studentship 2016)
     Then the Edinburgh QGGA MSc followed by a PhD student at the Roslin Institute
• Iain Gordon (MSc Bioinformatics, March-August 2015)
• Ryan Imrie (Genetics Society Summer Studentship 2015)
     Then a PhD student at the University of Exeter
• Marianne McDonald (BSc Hons student 2015)
• Robin Morrison (BSc Hons student 2014)
     Then a PhD student at the University of Cambridge
• Jack Richard-Bollans (MSc Bioinformatics, March-August 2014),
     Then a PhD student at the IGMM
• Jean-Michel Brouqui (Polytech Clermont-Ferrand)
• Gareth Collier (BSc Hons student 2013)
• Andrew Mason (BSc Hons student 2013)
     Then a PhD student at Roslin
• Alex Skotnicki (MSc QGGA, June-August 2012)
• Gemma Murray (MSc QGGA, June-August 2011),
     PhD with John Welch, then Post-Doc with Beth Shapiro
• Emma Hodcroft (MSc QGGA, June-August 2010),
     PhD then Post-Doc with Andy Leigh Brown
• Luke Thomas (BSc Hons student 2009)
• Sebastian Rous (BSc Hons student 2008)
• Chris Burnett (BSc Hons student 2006)

Collaborators

• Jenny Regan (Edinburgh)
• Pedro Vale (Edinburgh)
• Frank Jiggins (Cambridge)
• Tom Little (Edinburgh)
• Dieter Ebert (Basel)
• Andrew Rambaut (Edinburgh)
• Ronald van Rij (Nijmegen)
• Jerry Cross (EMR)