Tracks

This track is research-oriented and designed for students with an interest in the molecular biology of plants. Students can join the research programme of the groups Plant Stress Resilience, Plant-Environment Signaling, Plant-Microbe Interactions, or Translational Plant Biology. Students with an ecological interest can join the research programme of Ecology & Biodiversity. All research groups focus on a variety of fundamental and applied research questions.

Depending on your interests, your research training will involve investigations at the level of cells, individual plants, plant populations or ecosystems and may involve field observations in both temperate and tropical/subtropical climate zones. One of the strengths of the track Plant Biology is that knowledge on molecular and cellular mechanisms is placed in an ecological or agricultural context, helping students to bridge the gap between molecular biology and ecology.

This track is research-oriented and especially suited for students interested in the role of fungi in the environment. Although fungi are less visible, they are key players in the cycling of elements on earth by degrading organic material. Fungi can establish mutual beneficial symbiosis with plants and animals but they can be devastating pathogens as well.

The properties of fungi make them widely used in biotechnology for the production of enzymes or small molecules like antibiotics. Moreover, they are used to make sustainable materials or find applications in for instance biocontrol. Fungi therefore contribute to the switch to a sustainable and circular economy.

Students with a microbiological interest can join the research programmes of the groups Microbiology, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Ecology & Biodiversity, or the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute. You may work on fundamental research topics such as:

• how fungi colonise substrates;
• how fungi form reproductive structures such as mushrooms;
• how fungi infect humans and animals;
• how fungi can be used to switch to a sustainable economy.

This track prepares you to generate and apply knowledge in plant, animal, and microbe ecology, to address societal issues related to management of natural resources and biodiversity conservation. By following a unique multidisciplinary approach, this track learns you to integrate knowledge of different disciplines and use it in practice.

University teachers from the participating research groups give lectures on the latest developments in the field of ecology. Examples from the daily work field of consultancy firms, or government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), provide the context for these developments. You will carry out a research project at one of the university research groups and you will have the opportunity to do an internship outside the university in a private company, consultancy firm, governmental institution (ministries, provinces, and municipalities), advisory board, NGO or applied research center, either in the Netherlands or abroad.

This track is research-oriented and is designed for students with an interest in animal behaviour in relation to ecology, social behaviour, conservation and welfare. The Behavioural Ecology programme takes a multi-level approach to understanding the causes and consequences of behaviour, with integration of evolutionary and proximate approaches. Students can join the research programmes of the groups Animal Ecology (Biology, Utrecht University), Animals in Science & Society (Ethology & Welfare, Veterinary Sciences, Utrecht University), the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO) and the Centre for Research and Conservation of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp at Antwerp Zoo. You can work on research topics such as: 'animal migration and ecosystem connectivity’, ‘social cognition and behaviour’, ‘social learning and animal innovation’, ‘ecology of animal personalities’, ‘animal welfare’, and ‘zoo breeding programs and wildlife conservation’. The program provides a unique multi-disciplinary approach to animal behavioural research, with work covering a variety of taxa (particularly primates, birds, and fish).