Course description
Objectives
The MRes course in Structural Biology should provide the student with:
-An understanding of the basic principles of the major methods of macromolecular structure determination
-An ability to carry out research in structure determination and analysis
-An understanding of the principles of macromolecular structure and function
-An ability to search and evaluate the relevant scientific literature and web resources
The analytical and presentational skills required for structural biology research.
Time Commitment
The MRes course is a full-time, one-year (all year, not just term time) course with an intense programme of work. You should expect to spend at least 40 hours per week on your work. Since the Department also has part-time students, our normal working day starts and ends later than in many other universities. 10:00-19:00 is a typical working day. Some days you may have evening lectures and practicals that end after 21:00.
Overview of course structure
Students begin by following taught modules from our web courses on Principles of Protein Structure and Techniques in Structural Molecular Biology, with weekly tutorials, and they attend a lecture series on Principles and Practice of Structural Biology. In addition, they attend lectures and practicals on Molecular Structure and Graphics. During the first term they begin their research project, which is their main focus for the rest of the course. In the second term they produce a written dissertation and oral presentation on the background and plan of the research, and they submit a thesis which is orally examined at the end of the academic year. In addition, MRes students participate in the Graduate Studies programme provided for all research students, and attend the Department seminars and research presentations by final year PhD students and postdocs in the Friday Wraps.
Graduate studies programme
MRes students participate in the Graduate Studies programme in transferable skills provided by the School of Crystallography for PhD and MRes students. It includes such topics as how to present a talk, write a CV, write paper, use library resources, time management and record keeping and applying for grants and jobs. We also give a course on "the culture of science" including discussions of ethics, intellectual property rights, and career opportunities.
Research project, dissertation and thesis.
Taught elements:
Graduate studies: Computing for Scientists; Use of Scientific Libraries and Databases; Literature Surveys; Oral Presentations; Poster Presentations; Writing Scientific Reports and Papers.
Course units: Biocomputing I and II; Databases; Molecular Structure; Statistics; Sequence Analysis; Genome Analysis; Systems Biology.
Teaching
Lectures and coursework, in the first and second terms. Research seminars by outside speakers and research supervision for project and thesis.
Assessment
Written examination or coursework. Dissertation and oral presentation; project thesis and viva voce.
When to apply
You should apply as early as possible.
