We are thrilled to announce that the University of Warwick has been ranked 12^th Best University for Work Experience by RateMyPlacement, in their inaugural Best University for Work Experience table.

The School of Life Sciences is proud of the work we do to support our students in accessing and engaging with quality work experience opportunities, from internships to yearlong placements.

Mineli, BSc Biomedical Science with Placement Year, currently on placement at Pfizer says:

“The University has been really helpful in providing a variety of resources that help students find work experience opportunities. Particularly within the School of Life Sciences, there are weekly 'Careers round-ups' which all students receive. These detail the latest updates and opportunities that companies are advertising - whether that be internship, placement of research opportunities.

The Careers and Placements team are dedicated to ensuring students can maximise their chances of securing a placement as well. They ensure students have access to mock interviews as well as providing useful feedback on applications.

The combination of all these services and resources has allowed Warwick students, myself included, to have the best possible chances of securing our ideal work experience, gaining a competitive advantage when entering the job market.“

The UKRI and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has awarded a Collaborative Training Partnership (CTP) grant to a consortium led by G’s Growers Ltd. The CTP programme for Sustainable Agricultural Innovation (CTP-SAI) is a groundbreaking partnership between leading businesses, charities and research providers to offer outstanding training for the agri-food sector.

Through this programme, the University of Warwick is offering a PhD enabling the successful candidate to gain a wide range of experience in conventional and molecular plant pathology and also of microbial community analyses through next generation sequencing approaches. This PhD is a unique opportunity to blend research techniques from lab to field and work with one of Europe’s biggest lettuce producers. The project on 'Integrated control of Fusarium wilt of lettuce in relation to pathogen and microbial community dynamics' will be supervised by Professor John Clarkson (SLS) and Dr Helen Bates (NIAB).

The deadline for applications is 8 April 2022.

Find out more about the project

All of our undergraduate degrees have been successfully re-accredited by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB). RSB accredited degrees undergo rigorous, independent assessment to ensure a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and key skills and prepares graduates to address the needs of employers.

Graduates from Accredited programmes receive one year of free membership of the Royal Society of biology in their final year, opening up networks at a crucial time when applying for jobs. Whichever area of biology you wish to gain a career in, membership will help you:

• Stay up to date with what is happening across the life sciences
• Gain additional recognition for your skills and experience
• Develop your professional network
• Demonstrate your support for the future of biology

Interested in studying with us? Check out our bioscience degree courses

Scholarships are available for those interested in studying a postgraduate taught masters course at SLS starting in October 2021. Our postgraduate taught (PGT) courses are 1 year full time (or 2 years part time).

School of Life Sciences (SLS) Excellence Scholarships

Up to two School of Life Sciences Excellence Scholarships will be awarded as a 50% reduction of course fees for the 2021/22 academic year. Applicants should have an excellent academic track-record.

Eligible courses:

• MSc Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management
• MSc Environmental Bioscience in a Changing Climate
• MSc Food Security
• MSc Medical Biotechnology and Business Management
• MSc Sustainable Crop Production: Agronomy for the 21st Century

Deadline: 1 June 2021

Find out more and apply

Clyde Higgs Scholarships

For 2021/22 up to five Clyde Higgs Scholarships, each worth £6,758, will be offered. This scholarship is available to British nationals only.

Eligible courses:

• MSc Food Security
• MSc Sustainable Crop Production: Agronomy for the 21st Century

Deadline: 1 June 2021

Find out more and apply

Beth Hill, a third year Biomedical Science student, has written a blog highlighting how the pandemic has had an impact on higher education.
Read Wonkhe blog (28 May 2020).

CENTA stands for Central England NERC Training Alliance, a consortium of Universities and research institutes that are working together to provide excellence in doctoral research training within the remit of the Natural Environment Research Council. As a CENTA student, you will belong to a consortium well-resourced to provide you with extensive training to give you confidence in all aspects of your research.

PhD Project themes:

·  Climate and Environmental Sustainability

·  Organisms and Ecosystems

·  Dynamic Earth

Apply now

Deadline for applications: 10 January 2020

The Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP) is a BBSRC funded doctoral training partnership between the University of Warwick, the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester, Aston University and Harper Adams University.

The MIBTP has an ambitious vision to deliver innovative, world class research across the life sciences to boost the growing bio-economy in the Midlands and across the UK.

PhD studentship projects are focussed in vital research areas such as Sustainable Agriculture and Food, Understanding the Rules of Life, Renewable Resources and Clean Growth and Integrated Understanding of Health and uses interdisciplinary and quantitative approaches to biology.

Students from a wide diversity of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply: those with creative drive in both theoretical disciplines (for example, maths, computer science, statistics) as well as experimental science (for example, biology, biomedicine, chemistry, biotechnology).

Apply now

Deadline for applications: 12 January 2020

This week the School of Life Sciences is welcoming students from across the UK as part of the 2019 Headstart Programme.

Taking place at the Gibbet Hill campus 7– 11 July, the Headstart course provides a university taster course for 16-17 year olds with the opportunity to explore the different biological disciplines taught within the School of Life Sciences. The Life Sciences course enables students to gain experience at a prestigious university prior to making UCAS applications, showing them the different courses and career paths available.

Across the week, students will take part in a wide range of hands-on laboratory experiments and lectures including physiology, microbiology, epidemiology and molecular biology.

Administered by the EDT (Engineering Development Trust), a charitable trust, Headstart provides hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) activities and taster courses to encourage young people into technology-based careers.

Discussing the summer school’s programme Dr Daniel Franklin, Senior Teaching Fellow and summer school organiser, said ‘The students are experiencing all of the successful teaching elements of our degrees, lectures, labs and importantly one of our excellent tutorials. It is very satisfying to see that they are embracing the different subjects being covered, and clear that the students are scientifically curious. I am really pleased that some of our excellent teaching is giving the students a rewarding time.’

We hope to inspire students to study life sciences at university in the future.

At Warwick we offer:

• Biological Sciences
• Biochemistry
• Biomedical Science
• Neuroscience (New for 2020)

Congratulations to our University Staff Award winners:

WAPTE Winner
Dr Leanne Williams won the 2019 Warwick Award for Personal Tutoring Excellence (WAPTE). This is a new award that recognises staff who have made an outstanding contribution to the support of students through the personal tutoring system. Leanne already holds a Warwick award for teaching excellence and has been doing amazing work supporting our students over the years.

WATE Winner
Dr Rebecca Freeman won a Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (WATE). Beccy has made an enormous difference to SLS by radically changing our approach to teaching and the students’ approach to learning. She has engaged students as collaborators in the development of our curricula and helped us develop rigorous yet innovative and flexible teaching approaches, which have now become examples of best practice for the University.

Public Engagement Contribution
Professor Nick Dale won the Public Engagement Contribution award. Nick explains "the complexities of his subject, the brain, in a way that drives interest from those who know something and a fascination from others who know less".

Supporting Student Employability
David Molyneux, SLS Senior Careers Advisor, won the award for Supporting Student Employability. David is described "As a colleague, he is unstinting in his devotion. He is giving, generous of spirit and passionately cares about students and their employability".

Every year, the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and the School of Life Sciences, jointly run a PhD Thesis Prize competition with prizes provided by each. Supervisors are invited to put forward students for consideration.

This year, the winner of the Faculty Thesis Prize is Dr Fábio Henrique dos Santos Rodrigues, who did his PhD with Prof John McCarthy. The thesis title is 'Targeting trypanosomatid translation factor interactions'. The work has been published in a joint first author paper in Nucleic Acids Research.

The winner of the School of Life Sciences Thesis Prize is Dr Jenny Goodman, who did her PhD with Dr Alex Jones. Jenny's thesis is entitled 'The role of Feronia in regulating growth and development in Arabidopsis Thaliana roots'. A methods paper and a middle author paper have already come from the PhD, and two first author papers – including one for PNAS – are in process.

The Guardian University league table has ranked Warwick 8th in the UK for 2019, maintaining our position from 2018 and ranking the University top in the West Midlands. The new table is published today, Tuesday 29 May, 2018.

The Guardian University Guide also ranked Biosciences (School of Life Sciences) 4th.

These results provide recognition of Warwick's excellence in teaching and research.

A number of fully funded studentships in environmental sciences are available to UK and EU students that meet the residency and qualification eligibility criteria. These studentships are available as part of the NERC DTP CENTA consortium. Application deadline: 22 January 2018.

View available projects

The Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP) is a BBSRC-funded doctoral training partnership between the University of Warwick, the University of Birmingham and the University of Leicester. The MIBTP has an ambitious vision to deliver innovative, world class research across the Life Sciences to boost the growing Bioeconomy in the Midlands and across the UK. 

PhD Studentship projects will be focused in vital research areas such as food security, bio-energy and quantitative biology. Students from a wide diversity of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Projects are available for those with creative drive in both theoretical (IT and mathematical) and experimental (biology, biomedicine, chemistry, biotechnology) research.

Funded PhD Studentships

New scientists will be trained to explore ways to tackle antimicrobial resistance - one of the greatest emerging threats to human health – with the creation of a £2.85m national PhD Training Programme, funded by the Medical Research Council and part-led by the University of Warwick.

Professor Chris Dowson from Warwick’s School of Life Sciences is part of the Programme Leadership Team, and has been integrally involved with the establishment of the training programme.

Read Press Release

Warwick’s 2017 iGEM team, Blueprint 361, is determined to make E.coli work in their favour. The team is made up of 5 engineering undergraduates, 4 students from the School of Life Sciences and a chemist, and are supervised by Dr Alfonso Jaramillo.

Their project is going to use E.coli to produce a biopolymer, which will then in turn be used as the bio-ink for their 3D printer. Over the course of the summer months, the team have been relentlessly working away in many labs around the campus to use this system for the creation of surface coatings with improved biocompatibility and osseointegration. If successful, the team could see revolutionary increase in both the strength and versatility of artificial joints and dental implants.

Excitingly, further development could even see this technology lead to the 3D printing of biological structures, such as trachea frameworks or even organ scaffolds.

The Blueprint 361 team will be taking their project to Boston in November 2017 to compete in the iGEM Jamboree against over 300 other teams from around the world. The team are urgently seeking additional funds in order to allow them to further develop their project. Can you help them? If so, please email
igem@warwick.ac.uk.

iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition, which was established by MIT in 2003. Each iGEM team works over the summer to produce a new genetically engineered biological system, and competes in the following categories: the environment, manufacturing, diagnostics, therapeutics and food.

Keep up to date with the team here:
Facebook @warwickIGEM
Twitter @warwickigem
Instagram @igemwarwick

The International Biology Olympiad (IBO), which takes place every year in different locations across the globe, sees pre-university students compete in a series of practical experiments and theoretical exams in what is the biggest biology competition in the world.

The competition, which spans a week in duration, takes place from 23 - 30 July, and - after a successful bid back in 2012 - will be taking place this year in the United Kingdom at the University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences.

On Friday 21 July, graduands from the School of Life Sciences attended the Summer Graduation Ceremony held in Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre.

The Government’s latest Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset published this week, on Tuesday 13 June 2017, shows that in over a dozen subjects, including Life Sciences, University of Warwick graduates are ranked in top 10 in the UK for high earnings five years after their graduation.

Read Press Release

The University of Warwick has once again been ranked top ten in the latest UK university league table with Biosciences (Life Sciences) listed in the top five in the UK.

Read Press Release

The School of Life Sciences has recently recruited four new undergraduate and taught postgraduate student bloggers.

Our undergraduate bloggers, Nisreen Chahid and Emily Morris, will blog monthly about… well anything really. This month Emily’s blogs cover ‘Where am I going to live?’ and ‘Christmaaaaaas’.

Postgraduate bloggers, Sandhya Sriram and Liwsi Butler, have got off to a flying start with Sandhya’s blog on ‘My top 5 Warwick SU societies’.

If you want to hear from current students about life at the University of Warwick, look out for the interesting and informative posts from our bloggers.