Bioinformatics

MSc Bioinformatics is accredited by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education

The future of biology is bioinformatics – computational analysis procedures that leverage state-of-the-art statistics and machine learning to gain insight into systems of exquisite complexity. We have entered an era of unprecedented expansion in the biological sciences, and our data now grows exponentially faster than Moore’s law.

The biological sciences have been transformed by the advent of omics. Enabled by revolutionary advances in molecular sequencing and mass spectrometry, it is now possible to sequence a genome in six hours, simultaneously assess the expression level of every gene in a genome, quantify the abundance of proteins and metabolites, and determine the epigenetic and regulatory landscape of individual cells. Hypotheses are generated through the integrative analysis of enormous datasets, and tested in high-throughput with third-generation genome-engineering technologies, including CRISPR.

Biology is now driven by data.

This MSc is composed of seven taught modules and one independent project. The taught modules provide you with foundational knowledge and skills in statistics, computer programming, and molecular biology, and then exploit this skillset to help you to understand and participate in the ongoing revolution in biological data science.

The course begins with a fast-paced introduction to essential capabilities. Through individualised and student-centered teaching, as well as heterogeneous group work, it will prepare wet-bench biologists and clinicians interested in data analysis, as well as statisticians or computer scientists wishing to work in biology for studies in modern bioinformatics.

You will then be introduced to the sequencing modalities that have reduced the cost of obtaining the human genome from over a billion pounds to less than a thousand dollars, and the many applications in the biomedical and environmental sciences enabled by these technologies. Beyond DNA and RNA sequencing, you will learn how mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy have opened protein sequencing and metabolomics – the study of all small molecules, or metabolites present in a system. You will learn how to integrate these datatypes with high-content imaging to map molecular changes onto four-dimensional representations of complex systems, including the human nervous system and fresh-water ecologies.

Closely supervised individual projects will prepare you to tackle real-world research or industrial problems at scale, and highly interactive group projects will enable teams to tackle challenges too complex for individuals. Projects are developed in collaborations with our world-leading faculty and our many industrial partners, ensuring that you are equally prepared for academic or industrial career paths.

You can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

by holding an English language qualification to the right level

by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

English to IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in any band).

If you need help with your English language skills then support is available.

The English for Academic Purposes Presessional course is for international students who have a conditional offer to study at the University, but who do not currently meet the English language requirements. The course is tailored to your level of English and allows you to meet the English language requirements for your programme without retaking IELTS. The EAP programme runs throughout the year and offers different programme lengths ranging from 42 weeks to 6 weeks. The length of course you need depends on your future course, your existing IELTS score and the English level you need for your university degree.