Throughout the course, you will gain an advanced understanding of:

• scientific concepts and practices that underpin industrial biotechnology
• principles of design thinking and project design
• scientific concepts of the role of recombinant DNA technology in both fundamental research and applied technology 
• the role of microorganisms in the search and discovery of commercially significant natural products 
• the role of biotechnology in agriculture and commercial enterprise
• control and modelling concepts and their application in bioprocessing systems
• statistical concepts and theory and their application in process engineering
• advanced practical skills in molecular biological techniques, handling microorganisms and data analysis

You will cover the foundational principles of design thinking in the context of biodesign. You will also develop skills in:

• handling microorganisms and plants
• molecular biology techniques
• data analysis
• preparation of research proposals and product pitches
• laboratory automation

During the MRes, you will be based within the Centre for Biological Systems Engineering and the Plant and Microbial Biology research group. You’ll participate in research group meetings and the seminar programme within the School. The group has a large cohort of PhD students, allowing you to experience a research-intensive study environment.

Newcastle University has long-standing and successful participation in the iGEM competition, dating from 2008. Team members are drawn from a range of undergraduate and Master’s programmes. You will have the opportunity to develop your skills further through:

• Collaborative working with research groups within the University
• Collaboration with local biotechnology companies and university spin-outs
• Field trips to local biotechnology firms.

You'll be taught and mentored by academics from both the:

• Plant and Microbial Biology research group in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
• Experimental Architecture Group in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape

Our research interests range from:

• natural product and antimicrobial discovery
• cell-free synthetic biology
• molecular diagnostics
• protein and enzyme engineering
• bioinspired materials and living buildings
• plant productivity improvement

Our researchers regularly publish in high-impact general science and specialised journals; and hold research funding from the main UK research councils, including EPSRC and BBSRC. Our research groups have strong industrial links and global research collaborations.

The course is delivered through a variety of teaching methods including:

• lectures
• practical classes 
• seminars 
• computer workshops 
• site visits 
• computer-based and problem-solving exercises

You will complete the 12-month long course between September and August the following year. It consists of two strands:

• a taught component, which runs from late September until the end of March
• a project, for which a dissertation is submitted by the end of August 

Dissertation projects are laboratory based. During the dissertation project, you may be based in the university, working alongside PhD students and postdoctoral research associates in established research groups, or you may work elsewhere, in collaboration with an industrial or academic partner.

The School of Natural and Environmental Sciences has an outstanding range of facilities to support our research and teaching. You will have access to:

• fully equipped teaching and research laboratories
• lab scale fermentation of novel biological compounds
• mini bio-foundry with commercial and open-source laboratory robotics
• fabrication laboratory with 3D printers, electronics, and laser cutters 
• access to bioinformatics software, GPU computing, and literature resources

• BIO8043 Practical Techniques in Molecular Biology
• BIO8044 Biotechnology: Advanced Topics
• SPG8500 Ideas for Business Enterprise for Postgraduates in Science Agriculture and Engineering
• BIO8198 MRes Project and Dissertation

All students will take one of the following optional modules:

• BIO8041 Antimicrobial Drug Discovery
• BIO8046 Applied Bioinformatics
• CME8020 Modelling and Control in Bioprocess Systems

• 6 week Pre-sessional entry: IELTS 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills)
• 10 week Pre-sessional entry:  IELTS 5.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.0 in all sub-skills)

You can study our Pre-sessional English course at the INTO Newcastle Centre.