Studying at the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, you will be taught by internationally recognised academics.
Dr Engl is the programme director of the Molecular Cell Biology Msc programme,
Research in his laboratory seeks to unveil the intricate ways bacteria communicate, adapt to, and influence their surroundings, with a special focus on Sigma54-regulated systems. Employing a multidisciplinary approach encompassing cellular, molecular, systems, ecology, and cutting-edge imaging techniques, the lab addresses fundamental inquiries into bacterial cell physiology. The overarching goal is to deepen comprehension in this realm, aiming to tackle significant societal issues such as antimicrobial resistance and sustainability.
Their research delves into the intricate mechanisms governing cell division—a fundamental process crucial for replenishing aged or damaged tissues in the human body. However, when this process spirals out of control, it becomes the hallmark of cancer. Their mission is to unravel the intricacies of cell division regulation, aiming to gain mastery over this process. Ultimately, they aspire to wield this knowledge to regulate cell division for cancer treatment and to harness the potential of stem cells for regenerative medicine.
Professor Stephen Rossiter is Head of the Biology Department and teaches on the Ecology and Evolutionary Genomics course as part of the Borneo field course module. He is an award-winning, world-renowned expert in Organismal Biology and his lab is involved with collaborative studies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and China. His research mainly focuses on bats, which number over 1,100 species and he is especially interested in how populations diverge.
Previous high-profile research from him has found genes to save ash trees from deadly beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer and uncovered a striking similarity in the DNA that enables some bats and dolphins to echolocate. As part of the latter study, he showed a key gene that gives their ears the ability to detect high-frequency sound has produced the same amino acid changes over time in both creatures. It is first time that identical genetics has been shown to underpin the evolution of similar characteristics in very different organisms and suggests the gene must be critical for the animals' echolocation.
Dr Fabrizio Smeraldi, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence teaches on the Computer Programming Module.
This module provides an introduction to the principles of programming in the context of designing and constructing complete programs. Programming techniques will be introduced and practical work will form an integral part of the course and of the assessment of students. The first half of the course will concentrate on program structures. The second half will cover representation of abstract types such as lists and trees using the types such as records and arrays provided in imperative programming languages.