Human Biology
Why study Human Biology?
Our understanding of human biology underpins many of the important advances that have transformed the quality of human life. You will develop your understanding of how the human body functions in health, the processes that lead to disorders in cellular function and methods of detecting and treating disease. Careers using biology skills include research and clinical trials.
What will I learn?
You will explore aspects of normal body function, and then discover how physiological imbalance or microbial infection alters and exploits human physiology. You’ll also examine the routes of transmission for human pathogens and explore the factors that determine how and why disease spreads in the population.
You will cover levels of biology from cellular mechanisms to whole organism physiology and the mechanisms that lead to disease. The strong focus on practical laboratory and analytical research skills means that you’ll develop independent learning skills and become equipped with key transferable academic and life skills as well as in-depth subject specialist knowledge and experience.
The first year enables you to develop understanding in cell and molecular biology, and provides key biology skills.
In the second year you will also study microbiology and advanced human physiology.
During the third year you’ll focus on cellular and molecular basis of disease and on specialist topics in human health and disease, and develop key professional skills within the subjects.
Placements
In the second year, you will have the opportunity of carrying out a placement matching an area of personal interest, which your tutor will help you to find.
Who will teach me?
Your lecturers are leaders in specialist fields of human biology, for example microbiology and infection, cell biology and molecular genetics. They are active researchers and their research interests ensure that the curriculum is up to date with current understanding of human disease and treatment. Their experience and support will be particularly useful for your final year research project.
Career options
Graduates wishing to use their specialist skills and knowledge in human biology in their career will have a foundation for work in research in university or biopharmaceutical industry laboratories, clinical trials, scientific writing as well as teaching. Some specialist career paths may require students to gain advanced skills in postgraduate study, such as the Bioscience MRes.
Key staff
Dr Ian Cooper is a key member of the human biology team who has a specialist in microbiology and disease biology. Dr Cooper says the following about his specialist interest and how it relates to the study of human biology: “Microbiology is of fundamental importance to everyday life. It encompasses the bacteria, fungi and viruses that colonise our bodies, to those in the food and water that we ingest. It also includes those which provide benefit to us, and those which cause disease. Many disease-causing organisms have an environmental niche where they are able to reside in between outbreaks of disease, and this is where my primary research interests lie: how can microbes survive in the environment undetected to pose a threat to human health?" Dr Cooper’s research interests allows him to offer undergraduate research projects in his specialist area, as do other key staff with interests in, for example diabetes, cystic fibrosis, bone formation, neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr Ian Cooper, pathway leader, Human Biology/Course leader, Biology