NEW ERA
The Department of Biosciences
A new name for a new era Professor Keith Lindsey, Head of Department As humanity faces major challenges such as how to ensure a sustainable supply of food and energy against a backdrop of climate change and population increase or how to cope with the consequences for health and wellbeing of an ageing population, bioscience has never been more important. Understanding how genes affect crop yields, biofuel production, human ageing, how species distribution and adaptation are influenced by the changing environment, or the search for new antimicrobials - these are some of the important problems studied in the Department of Biosciences at Durham. Biological research has a long and eminent history at Durham, since the foundation of the Departments of Botany in 1932 and Zoology in 1946. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the Zoology Department developed an enviable reputation for research into animal physiology and behaviour, whilst the Botany Department became internationally recognized for its biochemical research into nutritionally important plant proteins and food security, often in collaboration with research institutions in the developing world. By the end of the 20th century Durham had become a centre of excellence in the molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and genetic engineering techniques that form the basis of modern biology and for ecological studies on the impact of climate change, one of the greatest challenges of our age.
The history of biosciences in Durham has been one of constant evolution and innovation, exploiting new technologies to enhance our understanding of the living world.
The teaching of joint Botany-Zoology honours degrees paved the way for the fusion of the two departments as Biological Sciences in 1989. The Integrative Cell Biology Laboratory, a focus for functional genomics research, bio imaging and proteomics technologies, was opened in 2002, shortly after the integration of all of these elements into a School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, reflecting the expansion into teaching biomedical sciences and the location of teaching and research at two sites, Durham City and Queen's Campus, Stockton-on-Tees. With the transfer of the School of Medicine to Newcastle University and consolidation of all other research and teaching activities at the Durham City site, the School became the new Department of Biosciences in 2016. Alongside our BSc programmes in Biological Sciences and Biomedical Sciences, we have also launched a very successful fouryear MBiol programme, with a strong emphasis on project work in the final year. The history of biosciences in Durham has been one of constant evolution and innovation,
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exploiting new technologies to enhance our understanding of the living world, exemplified by our current status as one of the bestequipped universities in the UK for the imaging of plant and animal cell structure technologies that are essential for advances in stem cell research and developmental biology. Our genomics facility has a long-standing reputation for quality, processing DNA and RNA sequencing samples from academic and commercial laboratories around the world. We also enthusiastically embrace cross-disciplinary working, through joint projects with chemists, physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists and geographers, as is the nature of modern biological research. Throughout our history, the integration of cutting-edge research and teaching has remained central to our ethos. Our graduates emerge fully equipped to make their own contribution to improving human welfare, maintaining the health of the environment, ensuring sustainable agriculture and conserving biodiversity for future generations.
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