Tracks

The track Genes to Organisms is particularly suited for students who are interested in how organisms function, develop, and interact with their environment, and how genetic differences influence the molecular mechanisms underlying a broad range of biological processes.

You will learn how molecules function in an organized and coordinated manner in cells, in tissues, and ultimately, in the entire organism. You will expand your knowledge through theoretical courses and during internships working on how diverse biological processes, e.g. development, immunity, and responses to the environment, function from the level of genes to the level of the whole organism. Research is performed on a wide variety of model organisms, from bacteria to fungi, and from plants to Metazoan animals (C. elegans), using genetic, genomic, bioinformatic, molecular biological, cell biological, and physiological approaches. You will learn and understand how fundamental scientific knowledge is translated to applications in medicine and biotechnology.

Some of the track-affiliated research groups are: Developmental Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Plant Physiology, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Plant Ecophysiology, Bacterial Infections and Immunity (UMCU), and Experimental Microbiology (UMCU).

The track Molecules and Cells is for students with a keen interest in understanding and advancing our knowledge of cellular processes at the molecular level.

You will acquire an advanced theoretical framework in order to understand how different biomolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids or lipids, work inside living cells, and how molecular processes can be affected by drugs to treat diseases. You will perform research focusing on important biological questions at the frontiers of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, gain in depth experimental expertise and learn to critically evaluate relevant datasets. This will allow you to address a broad range of biological problems by selecting and applying appropriate experimental or computational methods available in the fields of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Biophysics, Bioinformatics and (Computational) Structural Biology.

Some of the track-affiliated research groups are: Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Crystal and Structural Chemistry, NMR Spectroscopy, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry, Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Cellular Protein Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Virology.

The track Biophysics and Molecular Imaging is for students with a keen interest in in-depth understanding, application, and development of advanced experimental and computational methods to study biomolecules and/or biological processes.

You will acquire an advanced theoretical framework, allowing you to understand the fundamentals of advanced biophysical methods such as mass spectrometry, NMR, X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and various optical microscopy methods. You will gain in-depth expertise allowing you to apply one (or more) of these methods and contribute to their development.

Some of the track-affiliated research groups are: Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Crystal and Structural Chemistry, NMR Spectroscopy, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry, Cryo-Electron Microscopy, and Molecular Biophysics.