• Fire ants on their genetic code
  • An annelid larva
  • Common starfish

Welcome to The Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics

The Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics (CEFG) is home to 28 active research groups that use cutting-edge technology to further our understanding of complex biological systems and processes. The Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics is at the forefront of research on non-model organisms studying gene-regulation underpinning development and behaviour, evolution of adaptive phenotypes, social organisation, and biological complexity.

Specifically, we build on traditional model systems to transpose multi-omics approaches to non-model organisms. Our interdisciplinary approach combines molecular biology, microscopy, computational biology, and in vivo experiments to study biological processes from the molecular level to a macroevolutionary scale.

Collectively, we seek to gain a functional understanding of how genomes generate the complexity of life on Earth. With this knowledge, we tackle the global challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, disease prevention and healthy ageing.

Research in the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics is highly collaborative, maintaining partnerships with leading institutions worldwide and fostering a global network of researchers to advance our understanding of genomics and biology. The centre benefits from access to state-of-the-art imaging, genomic and animal facilities. Our genome research is also an essential component of our postgraduate education, being central to the “Bioinformatics”, “AI in the Biosciences”, and “Biodiversity and Conservation” MSc programmes at QMUL.

Events

News

Recent Publications

  • Efficient Detection and Characterization of Targets of Natural Selection Using Transfer Learning
    Arnab SP, dos Santos ALC, Fumagalli M and DeGiorgio M
    Molecular Biology and Evolution vol. 42 (5) 
    09-05-2025
  • Chromatin loops are an ancestral hallmark of the animal regulatory genome
    Kim IV, Navarrete C, Grau-Bové X, Iglesias M, Elek A, Zolotarov G, Bykov NS, Montgomery SA, Ksiezopolska E, Cañas-Armenteros D, Soto-Angel JJ, Leys SP, Burkhardt P, Suga H, de Mendoza A, Marti-Renom MA and Sebé-Pedrós A
    Nature, Springer Nature, 1-9.  
    07-05-2025
  • Morpholino oligomer delivery via bath immersion for use in reverse genetic studies on the early development of eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica)
    Xu L, Small JM, Hood SM, Zhao M, Plough LV and Wong T-T
    Aquaculture, Elsevier vol. 600 
    01-04-2025

View more publications »

Recent Grants

  • ADB513: Genomic basis of ash health after five and thirteen years’ exposure to ash dieback CFP25_A56
    Richard Buggs and Richard Nichols
    £130,092 Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
    01-04-2025 - 31-03-2028
  • Using Population Genetics to Address Metabolic Health Disparities in East London's Diverse Ethnic Populations
    Moneeza Kalhan Siddiqui, Segun Fatumo, Matteo Fumagalli and Sarah Finer
    £74,125 Barts and the London Charity
    24-02-2025 - 23-02-2026
  • Exploring the cooperativity of the POU-SOX stemness regulators during early animal evolution
    Alexandre De Mendoza Soler
    £3,000 Royal Society
    01-02-2025 - 01-02-2026

View more grants »