The Institute of Integrative Biology has developed bespoke pathways to MRes awards across all of its research interests, affording applicants the opportunity to develop their own postgraduate degree programmes. These new programmes can therefore be based around your particular areas of interest. The title of your degree award will reflect your pathway of choice. Example Pathways Advanced Biological Sciences (Animal Sciences) Advanced Biological Sciences (Bioinformatics) Advanced Biological Sciences (Biotechnology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Cell Signalling) Advanced Biological Sciences (Chemical Biology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Conservation Biology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Evolution and Behavioural Biology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Food Security) Advanced Biological Sciences (Functional and Comparative Genomics) Advanced Biological Sciences (Host: Parasite Biology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Microbiology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Molecular Oncology) Advanced Biological Sciences (Plant Sciences) Advanced Biological Sciences (Structural Biology) You will be able to choose from a series of taught modules to ensure that you develop the correct academic background and skills to excel in research. An important component of the programme will be the opportunity for non-native English speakers to take a specially designed module in communication skills.

Most important teaching element is probably the students I welcome into my lab group to do their BSc, MRes, MSc and PhD projects. Here, we have a very personal relationship, and I very much enjoy watching people develop, start to plan their own programmes, and begin to challenge me in my research area! It is also great when they manage to publish their work – last year the project work of 3 of my BSc students and one of the Master’s students made it through to peer-reviewed publication. One of the papers was highlighted in ScienceDaily, which was terrific – it’s great to do science for yourself, but even better to do science people want to hear about! (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808104524.htm) ” 1. What does your work/research entail? My lab thesis is that parasite and pathogens are dominant forces in biology. They drive population size, community diversity. They drive much of evolution. They alter individual behaviour, and much of animal design and physiology have evolved to prevent, clear or tolerate infection. From tears to saliva, from colouration to mate choice, parasites are there! Biology as a life science happens outside labs. Part of my work involves examining the dynamics of pathogens, and of the effect of pathogens, in the natural environment. I work on butterflies on South Pacific islands, small parasitic wasps in North America, and ladybird beetles in Europe. The work is multidisciplinary, and I work with molecular biologists, Drosophila geneticists, genomic and transcriptomic experts, alongside ecologists and mathematical biologists. You can’t understand mechanism without understanding evolution; you can’t understand evolution without understanding mechanism. 2. What modules do you teach on which programmes? Do you teach large/small groups? What have some of your students gone on to do? I teach years 1-3 Evolution, Ecology and behaviour – I love year 1 as it is big picture evolution, aimed at all biologists. I teach M level Evolutionary informatics. My most important teaching element is probably the students I welcome into my lab group to do their BSc, MRes, MSc and PhD projects. Here, we have a very personal relationship, and I very much enjoy watching people develop, start to plan their own programmes, and begin to challenge me in my research area! It is also great when they manage to publish their work – last year the project work of 3 of my BSc students and one of the Master’s students made it through to peer-reviewed publication. One of the papers was highlighted in ScienceDaily, which was terrific – it’s great to do science for yourself, but even better to do science people want to hear about! (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808104524.htm)