MSc by Research in Structural Biology - Structural Virology

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.Viruses are obligate parasites that infect hosts in all kingdoms of life. Understanding the structure of viruses, viral proteins, and the complexes they form with host proteins is therefore critical in human and animal health, and in food security. Research in proteostasis seeks to understand the lifecycle of protein molecules: how they are made, folded, and degraded, and how disease results when these processes go wrong. The structure of biological molecules and the complexes they form underpins most biological function. Therefore, structural biology is a key tool in modern biological discovery. We want to understand the structures of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids, and the complexes they form. Structural biology also encompasses understanding how those structures move, and incorporates the principles of molecular biology, biochemistry biophysics, modelling and simulation.