Postgraduate Prospectus

www.essex.ac.uk/bs | Biological Sciences
Distinction, it may be possible for you
to automatically register for our MSc
Biotechnology, so over two years you
gain a thorough training in biotechnology
principles and practices.
Research study
Our research groups work on important
international and national problems using
cutting-edge techniques.
In environmental microbiology, our
scientists work closely with our other
staff and collaborate with industry and
other research groups throughout the
world to tackle challenging global
problems, such as pollution, eutrophication,
sustainable agriculture and global warming.
The diversity of our research projects in
marine biology reflects the variety of
research skills within our Environmental
Biology Group, and our commitment to
increasing society’s understanding of how
different marine species, habitats and
ecosystems function. Our wide ranging
expertise capitalises on our state-of-the-art
laboratory equipment, aquarium facilities,
the coastal location of our University, and
our global network of field stations, to
provide high quality training and
international level research outputs.
Currently our Coral Reef Research Unit
directs research within the three main
centres of coral reef biodiversity, namely the
Indo-Pacific, Caribbean and the Red Sea.
This involves work with many organisations
like Operation Wallacea UK, the Indonesian
Institute of Science, the Honduras Coral
Reef Foundation and the Suez Canal
University in Egypt. Our research in plant
productivity is dependent upon efficient
utilisation of environmental resources,
especially light and water. Our group
applies integrative, cross-scale approaches
involving molecular genetic, biophysical,
biochemical and physiological techniques.
Our Molecular Biophysics Group employs
an array of techniques to understand how
molecular systems function and has
developed novel techniques to study how
proteins interact with each other and their
substrate at the single molecule level.
We observe the processes of DNA repair,
Parkinson's Disease and muscle motor
activation in real time, one molecule at
a time. G-protein Coupled Receptors
(GPCRs) are one of the most important
families of drug targets so, using receptors
such as rhodopsin as model systems, we
use biophysical and computational methods
Nelson Fernandez, BSc PhD London,
MSc Brunel (Professor)
Immunology: understanding the
properties of membrane receptors
involved in infection and immunity,
including the study of major
histocompatibility complex-encoded
molecules, macrophage-specific receptors
CD14 and innate recognition Toll-like
receptors; reproductive immunology
and associated early-stage expression
of histocompatibility genes important
in conception, development and
feto-maternal tolerance
Richard Geider, BA New York, PhD
Dalhousie (Professor)
Biological oceanography: limits to
phytoplankton photosynthesis and
growth; role of phytoplankton in marine
biogeochemistry; feedback between
environmental changes and marine
productivity
Andrew Harrison, BSc Manchester,
PhD Edinburgh (Senior Lecturer)
(Joint appointment with the Department
of Mathematical Sciences)
Bioinformatics and systems biology:
post-genomic technology; alternative
splicing; biomolecular networks;
mathematical biology
Leanne Hepburn, BSc MSc Aberdeen,
PhD Manchester (Lecturer)
Coral reef ecology and taphonomy: the
forces and processes during the dynamics
and diversity of reef systems; ecology of
sponges; biodiversity conservation
Michael Hough, BSc Leicester, PhD
De Montfort (Lecturer)
Structural biology: understanding
the relationship between protein
structure and function; combined x-ray
crystallography and single crystal
spectroscopy; driving reactions in protein
crystals; redox proteins; haem and copper
metalloproteins; mechanisms of ligand
discrimination in haem proteins;
synchrotron radiation
Neil Kad, BSc Sheffield, PhD Bristol
(Lecturer)
Molecular motor biophysics: single
molecular imaging and manipulation
of motors in vitro to understand complex
systems from the bottom up; development
of new imaging and analytical
methodologies
Elena Klenova, BSc PhD Moscow
(Reader)
Molecular and cellular biology: biological
role of CTCF and BORIS transcription
factors in cell growth, differentiation and
tumourigenesis; investigation of molecular
mechanisms of CTCF and BORIS function
Julie Lloyd, BSc PhD London (Lecturer)
Plant molecular biology: mechanisms of
the control of plant gene expression by
light; signalling phosphate deficiency;
molecular biology of trans-regulatory
proteins; microarray analysis of plant
gene expression
Jody Mason, BSc PhD Bristol (Lecturer)
Protein-protein interactions: coiled coils,
amyloidosis, protein engineering and
protein folding; library design, screening,
selection and biophysical characterisation
to understand how protein-protein
interactions achieve stability and specificity
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