ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 12 – science bio/geo
biology and detailed understanding of bacteria. ‘Aspects of Gram-positive
bacteria are in focus also in several research groups at the Technical and
Medical Faculties at Lund University’. From the information provided by
the department information on Microbiology is rather poor. Microbiology
of COB does not seem to be involved in special multi- and interdisciplinary
activities of Genomic Ecology. This part of the department is
also not described as a particularly strong and successful research area.
Some good publications were found on the web and on-site discussions
resulted in our overall assessment as very good.
In general, for an outside reviewer the diversity of COB is difficult to justify
from a functional point of view as there exist collaborations across departmental
borders (CAMVIS, experimental evolution, genomic ecology/
evolution) and much less within the department itself. As far as research
is concerned the department could easily split or merge according to the
future research areas pointed out by the department. Teaching should
be organised across departmental borders, and should not be taken as an
excuse for maintaining “old” structures which may not work. In particular,
some subjects, for example genetics, can be found in various departments
without clear collaborative connections. Potential for more collaboration
certainly exists between COB and Ecology. Having all these groups centred
in one location (“Biology Center”) would help immensely. However,
at the level above the Department, there is an expressed wish to merge the
Department of Ecology with Cell and Organism Biology. For two reasons,
we caution against a precipitate merger without the full agreement of both
Departments. First, the Departments themselves are still struggling to deal
with the consequences of previous mergers. Second, across the world there
is a trend for Biology Departments to divide into Cell and Molecular on
the one hand and Whole Organism on the other. Despite its name, Cell
and Organism is essentially Cell and Molecular while Animal Ecology has
the potential to be rebranded Whole Organism.
1.3 Research infrastructure
According to their own assessment the research infrastructure of the
department is very good to good, and this seems to apply for all the different
groups including those working in molecular biology, for example
(microscopes, equipment for growth of microbial cells, equipment for
cell disintegration, fractionation and component purification, large-scale
production of recombinant proteins). The potent Lund Vision Group
322