Chema Martin-Duran

Dr Chema Martin-Duran is a Reader in Organismal Biology and Head of The Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics at Queen Mary University of London. He leads research into the evolution and mechanisms of animal embryogenesis, focusing on spiral cleavage in annelid worms and the genetic and epigenetic processes shaping developmental diversity.

His research integrates EvoDevo, comparative genomics, and epigenomics to study how developmental systems evolve. Key areas include the evolution of embryonic progenitor cell specification, developmental system drift, and heterochronic shifts in annelid models like Owenia fusiformis and Dimorphilus gyrociliatus.

Dr Martin-Duran's work is funded by grants from the European Research Council (ERC), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Wellcome Trust, and the Royal Society. He advises PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in his lab, focusing on topics such as genomic compaction, larval evolution, and symbiotic relationships in marine invertebrates. His lab is affiliated with the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology and collaborates on projects like the Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project.

• PhD students: Billie Davies, Rory Donnellan, Keroshini Guynes, Francisco Martin Zamora
• Postdoctoral researchers: Dr Allan Carrillo-Baltodano, Dr Yan Liang

His research group explores the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying animal development, with a focus on understudied marine annelids to uncover ancestral traits and evolutionary innovations in embryogenesis.