Programme description

The MPhil is a one-year research degree where students get the opportunity to study a specific research project. The MPhil degree can act as a stand-alone degree for applicants who would like to gain experience in a specific area, or can be linked to a PhD programme. Rather than register on a direct entry 3 or 4 year PhD, some postgraduates may first register on a one-year MPhil programme. Subsequently students may then wish to transfer on to a full PhD programme with a further 2 or 3 years of study.

Activity in the Structural Biology, Enzymology and Biophysics group spans across four major themes: biocatalysts (enzymes), membrane proteins, RNA protein interactions and the extracellular matrix. At Manchester we aim to take a holistic and integrated approach to research activity in these areas, providing a hub for detailed molecular analysis of biomolecular structure and function within the Faculty. There are strong interdisciplinary links with other themed areas in the Faculty, and other Schools and research institutes in the University. Infrastructure within the group is superb and includes state-of-the-art crystallisation robots, X-ray generators, computational and NMR facilities. The group also has unique facilities for advanced spectroscopy, fast reaction methods and computational infrastructure. The group is part of a large consortium that has received substantial funding (£6.8 million) to study membrane protein structure. A national centre for the robotic evolution of enzymes was established recently in the group through substantial funding (£2.2 million) from BBSRC.

Coursework and assessment

All research degree programmes are based on supportive supervision in an outstanding research environment. As well as a supervisor each PhD student also has an advisor who is available to oversee the progression of the student and provide additional support during their research degree.

The Faculty of Life Sciences is proud to have one of the largest and most innovative training and development programmes for postgraduate students in Europe, which has undergone continual development over the past 10-15 years. The Graduate Training Programme (GTP) is a series of compulsory and optional workshops, seminars, and skills training modules that are designed to complement a student's research laboratory training. Every student benefits not only from the outstanding academic environment, but also from the opportunity to acquire a broad and individualised range of personal and transferable skills that are of great value in future careers. For more information about the Graduate Training Programme please see the Faculty of Life Sciences website.

Each year the postgraduate community is joined by all members of the Faculty of Life Sciences to formally celebrate their substantial research achievements at the Faculty Research Symposium. During this important day in the Faculty calendar, a selection of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers present their work, through talks and posters, to their peers, academic and support staff and invited guests. This event provides all of our postgraduates with an important opportunity to showcase their research.

Facilities

The Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester comprises 250 independent research groups, and is one of the largest and best biology research groupings in Europe. The Faculty's research encompasses the entire spread of life sciences from the molecule to cell to organism to population.

The Faculty occupies a series of superb new buildings, each of which incorporates an enviable collection of equipment core facilities. These include analytical research facilities, bioimaging facility, bioinformatics facility, biomolecular analysis and mass spectrometry facilities, microarray facility, botanical experimental grounds, electron microscopy facility, fermentation facility, flow cytometry facility, histology facility, mammalian transgenic technologies facility, nuclear magnetic resonance facility, and x-ray crystallography facility.