Supervisor
Dr. William Scott
William Scott is a Group Head and Investigator at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London. He is also an Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. His research group studies the etiology and pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes, global health challenges with limited treatment options. Major research interests include the role of epigenetics in human obesity and diabetes susceptibility, how pathological adipose tissue remodeling impairs metabolic health, and why weight loss leads to remission of diabetes. To study these areas, he combines high-throughput molecular screens (DNA/RNA sequencing, proteomics, single cell and spatial genomics), machine learning and multidimensional data analysis, detailed functional characterization and therapeutic manipulation in humans and experimental models.
Selected publications
Miranda A. et al. | Selective remodelling of the adipose niche in obesity and weight loss.
Nature (2025), DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09233-2
McAllan L. et al. | Integrative genomic analyses in adipocytes implicate DNA methylation in human obesity and diabetes.
Nat. Commun. (2023), DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38439-z
Wahl S. et al. | Epigenome-wide association study of body mass index, and the adverse outcomes of adiposity.
Nature (2017), DOI: 10.1038/nature20784
Research group website: https://lms.mrc.ac.uk/research/genomics-of-obesity/