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  • Bioinformatics with Systems Biology (MRes)
  • 2013/2014 entry
  • Contact us
  • Assessment

    • Coursework, literature review, oral presentation, project thesis and viva voce.

  • Attendance
      • A minimum of two evenings a week part-time; daytime and some evenings full-time.
      • October–September
  • Duration
      • Two years part-time or one year full-time.
  • Entry requirements
      • Students may have first degrees in a wide range of subjects, including biology, computer science, mathematics, chemistry or physics.
      • Some practical knowledge of one programming language would be a distinct advantage.
      • Mathematics to A-level or equivalent desirable, but GCSE/O-level considered.

      Find out about our international entry requirements

  • Fees and funding
    • Fees (2013/14)
      • Part-time (home/EU students): £3975 pa
      • Part-time (overseas students): £7225 pa
      • Full-time (home/EU students): £6950 pa
      • Full-time (overseas students): £13,950 pa
  • Location
      • Central London.
  • Teaching

    • Lectures and coursework in the first and second terms, with increasing focus on the research project through the year. Research seminars by outside speakers and research supervision for project and thesis.

Bioinformatics with Systems Biology (MRes) - 2013/2014 entry


  • Overview

    • This programme provides you with high-quality postgraduate training in bioinformatics, including a major research component. It provides a foundation for the development of essential bioinformatics knowledge and skills within the context of academic research, as well as an introduction to the emerging field of systems biology.

      The programme is designed for students from a range of scientific backgrounds, who want to pursue research training in the interdisciplinary field of bioinformatics and systems biology. It is relevant to those seeking a future career in both academia and industry.

      Our research areas include:

      • computational structural bioinformatics, with a particular focus on the characterisation of macromolecular assemblies relevant to disease
      • immunoinformatics, in particular virus-host interactions and immune responses to protein therapeutics
      • developing bioinformatics and chemoinformatics methods to analyse metabolic pathways
      • structure–thermodynamic relationships, molecular simulation and inhibitor design
      • biomedical text mining
      • developing new computational methods that exploit data produced using various experimental techniques (e.g. cryo-EM, mass spectrometry, NMR and tomography).
  • Why study this course at Birkbeck?
      • Receive training in bioinformatics and systems biology – growth areas of science at the beginning of the third millennium. 
      • Aims to meet the present needs of the pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology industries for research and development.
      • Part of the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, a joint initiative with University College London.
  • Course structure

    • Over half of the programme is devoted to a practical project using techniques such as genome analysis, protein sequence alignment or molecular modelling.

      Training is also provided in searching and evaluating data in literature and online databases, and the analytical and presentational skills required by the successful research scientist.

      Taught elements:

      • Graduate studies: Computing for Scientists; Use of Scientific Libraries and Databases; Literature Surveys; Oral Presentations; Poster Presentations; Writing Scientific Reports and Papers.
      • Four course units are selected from the following: Biocomputing I; Molecular Structure; Statistics; Data Management; Biocomputing II; Structural Bioinformatics; Sequence Analysis and Genomics; Systems Biology.

      Find out more about further module details and read more about the programme.

  • Study resources

    • Access to computer and visualisation laboratories and multimedia seminar rooms, equipped with graphics workstations.

  • Further study opportunities
  • Careers information

    • Graduates go on to careers in research in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors and in academia.

  • Further details

    • On successful completion of this programme, you should be able to:

      • program in Perl (including Bioperl, web application development), design and query databases, and carry out object-oriented programming in Java
      • explain fundamental biological concepts, including genomes, DNA, protein structure and function
      • outline the statistical foundations of bioinformatics, including sequence analysis
      • discuss growth areas in bioinformatics research, such as systems biology, microarray analysis and scientific workflows.
  • Apply now