The teaching and research emphasis of the School is on an integrated approach to biology, encompassing understanding of biological processes at all levels from the molecular through to populations.

High Quality, Research-Led Teaching

The ethos of the School is very much on research-led teaching, by which we aim not only to convey well-established information to students but also to expose them to ideas and results at the cutting edge of biology research. Because almost all our staff teach as well as conducting vigorous research programmes, our students have the chance to learn from the full breadth of expertise in the Department.

A Stimulating Environment to Study Biology

Across the breadth of this rapidly changing subject, the School's world class research staff each contributes to undergraduate teaching within their domain of expertise. The contents of our degrees are weighted towards biochemical, molecular and cellular aspects, but also include whole organism, mathematical and population aspects. Whichever of our degrees you choose, you will be trained in sophisticated laboratory skills, numeracy, literacy and organisational skills - all highly prized by a wide range of prospective employers.

Cutting Edge Research

The School of Life Sciences is home to a wide range of exciting interdisciplinary bioscience. Research in the School of Life Sciences ranges from molecular through cellular to the organism level and spans bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists, animals and plants. It is supported by state-of-the-art experimental and computational technologies. Studying this diversity allows us to identify many common principles that operate across the breadth of living systems. Underpinning many of our research activities are quantitative analytical methods that enable us to build computational models of the biological systems under study.