The Department of Biology occupies the Darwin, Medawar and Wolfson House buildings, offering excellent opportunities for research in many aspects of biology. The department also offers one taught MSc programme, currently with a total intake of about 20 students. We are host to the MRC Human Biochemical Genetics Unit.
Many collaborative interactions exist between the research units and the department.
The department is also involved in the human gene-mapping project. There are usually about 50 students working in the department for MPhil and PhD research degrees together with about 40 who are registered here but work in research institutes such as the Imperial Cancer Research Fund laboratories, the National Institute for Medical Research and the Institute of Zoology. There are excellent facilities for research in the department with an impressive list of analytical equipment. Many other specialised techniques are available in nearby departments. Study for a PhD normally takes three calendar years of supervised research and students are required to submit their thesis within four years.