MSc Bioimaging

Our MSc Bioimaging (formerly MSc Quantitative Bioimaging) combines the most exciting developments in advanced microscopy and quantitative image analysis for the study of key biomedical questions.

Upon completion, students will be an ideal position to pursue a successful career in academia, as well as in the microscopy or pharmaceutical industry.

A deep understanding of the molecular mechanism at the basis of physiology and disease is key to develop novel treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer's. The recent development of innovative microscopy and computational methods like super-resolution microscopy and artificial intelligence has opened up unprecedented opportunities to study fundamental biological processes directly in living cells and organisms in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago.

This programme aims at training the next generation of biomedical and biophysical scientists with a highly interdisciplinary profile, capable of combining the most recent developments in advanced microscopy, image analysis and computational approaches to extract highly quantitative information from dynamic biological systems.

This is an exciting programme that combines lectures and seminars by world-leading experts in microscopy, probe design and image analysis with real life examples of their applications to investigate important biomedical questions. These will include the mechanisms that allow our cells to communicate with each other, the development of innovative drugs, and the study of the molecular pathogenesis of diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer. The programme will include a substantial proportion of practical sessions and workshops on state-of-the-art commercial and custom microscopes for single-molecule, super-resolution and light sheet imaging as well as hands-on training with advanced software for quantitative image analysis and modelling. Moreover, students will have the opportunity of selecting a research project of their own in one of our world-leading research groups to apply what they have learned to a relevant biomedical question of their choice.

Six main modules will cover advanced microscopy methods and probes, image analysis/quantitative methods and biomedical applications. Each of the six modules will include real-life examples and applications as well as seminars by world-leading academics and industrial speakers from microscopy and pharmaceutical companies. Afterwards, the students will choose a 3-month project to be carried out in one of the participating research groups. In doing so, the students will have access to state-of-the-art imaging and computational facilities provided by the Centre for Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE) of the University of Birmingham.