Dr Hollie Marshall

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester

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: https://mooholl.github.io/

Scientific Inspiration

My PhD and MSc supervisors – they both have different approaches to science, but they taught me you can work hard and play hard, you don’t 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’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Current Projects (2025-26)

Primary supervisor for:

Transgenerational epigenetic consequences of pollution exposure

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).

Transgenerational epigenetic consequences of pollution exposure

Secondary Supervisor(s): Professor Eamonn Mallon, Dr Yolanda Markaki

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 (Regenerative Biology)

Project Outline

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

This project has two related aims which will be carried out in the marine amphipod, Parhyale hawaiensis. The first is to determine if pollution-induced DNA methylation changes in an individual can act as biomarkers, predicting the health of offspring. The second is to determine if these DNA methylation changes play a causative role in offspring health.

Objectives and methods

Identify pollution-induced phenotypic changes in adult and offspring P. hawaiensis: you will use ecotoxicology techniques to carry out chemical exposures, measuring fitness (growth, fecundity) and health (wound healing – ability to regenerate limbs).

Identify pollution-induced DNA methylation changes in adult and offspring P. hawaiensis: using Nanopore Sequencing you will identify pollution-induced DNA methylation changes via bioinformatic analysis.

Determine if pollution-induced DNA methylation changes predict offspring health: using machine learning you will integrate the above datasets to identify potential multigenerational biomarkers of health.

Optional: depending on your interests, you can either pursue further machine learning models with additional ecotoxicology data or you can carry out CRISPR/Cas9 DNA methylation editing to see if epigenetic changes play a causative role in health outcomes.

Project Environment

This is a multidisciplinary project which will provide you with skills in ecotoxicology, bioinformatics and molecular epigenetics – opening doors for a career in a wide variety of sectors. You will also be part of the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability at Leicester and a member of both the Neurogenetics group and Applied Population Genetics group. These groups consist of >20 group leaders, >15 postdocs and >30 PhD students, meaning you will have a wide network of support and the ability to learn from a variety of labs.

Techniques

Techniques that will be undertaken during the project:

Ecotoxicology using New Approach Methodologies (Parhyale hawaiensis)
Molecular biology: DNA/RNA extraction etc.
Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing / Nanopore / RNA-Seq
Bioinformatic analysis (R / Bash / Python / Machine Learning)
Gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9

References

Averof (2022) The crustacean Parhyale. Nature Methods. 19, 1014-1016.

Chaturvedi et al. (2023) The hologenome of Daphnia magna reveals possible DNA methylation and microbiome-mediated evolution of the host genome. Nucleic Acids Research. 51, 9785-9803.

Saunderson, et al. (2023) CRISPR/dCas9 DNA methylation editing is heritable during human hematopoiesis and shapes immune progeny. PNAS. 120,e2300224120.

Takahashi et al. (2023) Transgenerational inheritance of acquired epigenetic signatures at CpG islands in mice. Cell. 186, 1-17.