MSc by Research in Neuroscience - Molecular Neuroscience

University of Leeds

This 12 month programme features no taught content, rather you will undertake a research project and write a thesis from your results. Similar to a PhD, you will have a supervisor who is based in your chosen field. MSc by Research will develop your academic and practical skills and is an excellent option should you wish to explore your area of interest further but feel that a PhD is not the right choice at this time. MSc by Research students often go on to PhD study or to work in industry.Molecular neuroscience is a focal point of molecular and cellular biology, genetics and neurobiology. It aims to understand, at a molecular scale, how nervous system enables us to control our body, perceive, learn, remember and, ultimately - think. This field of research is well represented across the School of Biomedical Sciences, as well as at the other schools and Faculties at Leeds (Faculties of Biological Sciences, Medicine and Health and Engineering, for example). We study molecular mechanisms of excitability, synaptic transmission, plasticity and repair within both peripheral and central nervous systems. A particular strength is our expertise in ion channels, which are versatile proteins responsible for ionic currents used by the nerve cells to communicate with each other. Another large, collaborative effort is to unravel molecular mechanisms of disorders of nervous system, such as epilepsy, chronic pain, cognitive and mood disorders. We also study roles of epigenetic mechanisms in physiology and pathophysiology of the nervous system