Biological Sciences

The course explores key conceptual and empirical issues in evolutionary biology. It combines pattern-oriented approaches, such as phylogenetics, with process-oriented developments in population genetics, developmental biology, and molecular ecology.

This course focuses on key concepts in evolutionary biology including the mechanisms operating on molecules, on populations and those involved in the formation of new species. It will also include topics on macroevolution, such as the role of mass extinctions, ​radiations, and biological constraints and biases in shaping evolutionary patterns.

The course explains the basic concepts, techniques, and uses of modern molecular biology techniques. Practical sessions and associated tutorials give hands-on experience of molecular techniques including electrophoresis, sequencing, cloning, and the polymerase chain reaction. The course begins with lectures that introduce molecular biology concepts, or serve as a refresher for students who already have some experience. It then moves into a description of contemporary tools and then applications. Lecturers explain some of the diverse applications of these techniques, with reference to their own research in fields including metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, cell and developmental biology, and forensic anthropology.

The course covers basic knowledge about immunology, and how different barriers interact to protect the host from infection or the development of cancer. Central and peripheral tolerance is discussed and placed concerning susceptibility to infection and hypersensitivity reactions. The principles of immunization are discussed and related to the vaccination debate in society and the role of the mass media in influencing public opinion.

This course examines a range of key contemporary problems at the interfaces between biology and the environment, health, and society. It helps students consolidate and develop skills including data analysis and presentation, making ethical judgements, and interpretation of data and statistics. It covers issues such as Measurement of Self, One Health, Forensics and Excess Mortality. 

This course provides an overview of the field of microbiology, with a focus on terrestrial diversity. The course mainly covers prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiology, with a focus on their metabolism, environmental methods, and diagnostics.

The last few years have seen a remarkable increase in our understanding of the basic biological mechanisms underlying human neurodegenerative diseases. Identification of mutations in a variety of genes found to encode proteins present in neuro-pathological inclusions, has suggested that a common feature of all these diseases might be the intracellular accumulation of fibrous protein aggregates within neurons, resulting in neuronal cell death. This course will discuss this hypothesis in the light of contemporary research and provide a foundation for our current understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. It will focus on the genetics, cellular and molecular biology of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Motor Neuron Disease and Prion diseases, with the main emphasis on the mechanisms leading to cell death. 

This course examines the practical applications of immunology and microbiology in biological research, clinical analysis and disease diagnosis. It covers application of antigen-antibody interaction in advanced research such as chromation; immunoprecipation assay, co-immunoprecipitation and dual immunofluorescence analysis; principles of flow cytometry and its application; tumor immunology and immunotherapy such as FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy; microbial pathogens and associated diseases, host immune response, antimicrobial agents and multidrug resistance, epidemiology and prevention of microbial infections; and clinical laboratory analysis in haematology, chemical pathology, and clinical microbiology.

The course covers human psychological development from childhood to old age and methods used in research in development psychology. It describes theoretical perspectives on personality and related fields of application. The course consists of four modules, this is the second module: Development in Adults. The module covers development during adulthood and the aging process based on theories of developmental, personality, and social psychology. Different aspects of aging are addressed, such as stress, mental and physical health, and ill health.

The course comprises a set of interdisciplinary lectures designed to enquire into the brain systems that are engaged during the experience of subjective mental states such as those of beauty, desire, and love.