Undergraduate
Research is at the heart of biological sciences. Therefore as an undergraduate you will be taught in the laboratories within your first month at university, and laboratory sessions will then become a part of your weekly routine. These laboratories also give you a great opportunity to interact with your lecturers who will also be teaching the laboratory sessions. You will also have the opportunity to be taught by research active staff and do a 3rd year project in a research laboratory. Many of undergraduates have been involved in published research.
Year 1
During your first year, (which is generic to all biological sciences and medical sciences students) you will be taught a variety of topics. This means that if you begin on a different degree strand, i.e. Medical Physiology, you are able to switch to Medical Microbiology in your second year.
Year 2
You begin to tune in on your subject interests in Year 2 and decide between two strands of microbiology:
- Biological Science (Microbiology)
The Biological Science route will focus more on the life cycle, and communication of specific micro-organisms.
- Medical Microbiology
The Medical Science route teaches you microbiology with respect to infectious diseases, of which cause one third of all deaths globally.
Year 3 (research project)
In the third year of your undergraduate degree you will be given the opportunity to complete a research project. Many students choose a project working alongside our highly reputable academics in our research laboratories, and these projects might contribute to ongoing research.
Some students will work in our new lab, the Wolfson laboratory, a state of the art facility for tissue culturing.
All third years attend a poster conference where they present their work to academics and other students, a great career development opportunity that will prove vital for your post university life.
Examples of projects and supervisors
- 'The interplay between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host lipid metabolism' (Dr Natalie Garton)
- 'Bacterial sensory perception and signaling' (Dr Helen O'Hare)
- 'Establishing the importance of penicillin binding proteins 4 (PBP4) for mycobacterial growth and antimicrobial resistance' (Dr G Mukamolova)
- 'The impact of air pollution on bacterial colonisation and respiratory disease' (Dr Julie Morrissey)