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School of Engineering

ES97J - Computational Synthetic and Systems Biology

  • Module code: ES97J
  • Module name: Computational Synthetic and Systems Biology
  • Department: School of Engineering
  • Credit: 15

Module content and teaching

Principal aims

This module aims to introduce students to the new fields of Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology. In particular, it will focus on how computational and mathematical methods can be used for the modeling, analysis, and design of biological systems. The module aims to give students a hands-on computational experience through Matlab assignments. The module will aim to foster a highly multidisciplinary view of biology, and to describe the recent evolution of the field towards being an engineering science

Principal learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will be able to:

  • understand fundamental design principles of synthetic biological systems such as modularity, retroactivity, robustness, etc;
  • understand the role of feedback in regulating biological phenomena;
  • apply an array of computational packages and analysis methods on models and available datasets of diverse biological phenomena;
  • analyze and design synthetic biological systems by applying Matlab toolboxes and modeling techniques
  • work individually and in small, multi/interdisciplinary groups to tackle complex problems and communicate with scientists from experimental and/or theoretical backgrounds;
  • think creatively and beyond traditional discipline boundaries to combine experimental and theoretical concepts, literature and ideas from the field of Synthetic Biology.