Laboratory Apprenticeships

1st year, 2 courses each, 24 ECTS total

In their first year, students will each undertake two laboratory apprenticeships. These will involve pairs of students spending 8 weeks working in a research group, under the mentorship of a supervisor. During this time, students will participate in the day-to-day running and experiments of the group, thus gaining first-hand experience of work in a research environment. Students are encouraged to perform their two apprenticeships in laboratories from differing fields of life science research, so that they students can learn two distinct sets of laboratory skills. At the conclusion of their second apprenticeship, students will then select one of their two laboratories to return to for their second year Research Project and, with the help of their supervisor, will develop their Research Proposal for it.

The list of Laboratory Apprenticeship topics available will vary from year-to-year, however the provisional list for 2020/2021 is as follows:

• Neuroregeration and neuroprotection
• Design of short catalytic peptides and peptide assemblies
• Immunity and neurodegenerative disease 
• Synthesis of photosensitisers for photodynamic therapy
• Molecular virology
• Determination of microplastics in sea water
• Drosophila melanogaster in the neuroscience of addiction
• Mental illness and protein aggregation
• Supercomputer analysis of biomolecular structure and function
• Molecular mechanisms of bleeding disorders