The Burgess Lab investigates RNA regulation in virus:host interactions. All viruses must use host cell ribosomes to produce their proteins and successfully replicate. They have therefore evolved myriad mechanisms to ensure their RNA is efficiently made, survives in the cytoplasm and is translated, and more still to influence host mRNAs, which can encode immune response proteins and act as their rivals for ribosome access. Amid this competition for gene expression, RNA can have another role as a pathogen associated molecular pattern that cells use to recognise viral RNA and launch antiviral defences. Thus viral strategies to manipulate host and their own RNAs can influence the outcomes of infections in multiple ways, and identifying these can reveal unanticipated aspects of cell biology and vulnerabilities in virus lifecycles that can be therapeutically targeted.

We currently have active projects investigating the importance of deadenylation and poly(A)-tail length, m6A RNA modification and double-stranded RNA responses during virus infections, including HCMV, HSV-1 and coronaviruses.

We welcome national and international collaborations - please get in touch!

Prospective PhD students - PhD students can join the lab through select Imperial funding schemes, linked below. We are also open to considering students who have already secured funding.

Imperial Presidents Scholarships - highly competitive 3.5 year studentship for students. Interested applicants with a first class undergraduate degree or masters degree with distinction should get in touch in advance of deadlines to discuss suitability and codevelopment of a research plan.

Lee Family Scholarships - 3.5 year studentship for students who ordinarily reside in China or Hong Kong. This scheme is expected to run again in late 2026 for a 2027 entry.

MultiSci MRC DTP -  Program involves 1y MRes, including lab rotations and 3.5y PhD (UK 'home' and international students eligible). Applications have closed for 2026 entry.

Postdocs - All funded postdoc and research assistant positions will be advertised on jobs.ac.uk and on Imperial's jobs pages. We welcome co-development of Wellcome Early Career Award, Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship and Human Frontiers postdoctoral fellowship applications. Unfortunately EMBO postdoctoral fellowships do not fully cover Imperial postdoctoral salaries, and can only be submitted in conjunction with additional funding.

Undergraduate summer projects - We sometimes have some capacity to supervise summer undergraduate projects, but funding must be sought to support these. For example, Imperial UROP bursary funding, or Biochemical Society or Microbiology Society vacation studentships. There are no places available for summer 2026.

Undergraduate placement year (also known as sandwich, professional training year or year in research) students - please email if interested. Unfortunately we cannot provide funding for placements.