University College Cork: University College Cork (UCC) is a prestigious public research university located in Cork, Ireland. Established in 1845, UCC is known for its academic excellence, innovative research, and vibrant campus life. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various fields, including arts, sciences, business, engineering, medicine, and law. UCC is committed to providing a supportive learning environment, fostering critical thinking, and preparing students for successful careers and global citizenship.

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Our MSc in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology is a one-year full-time (or two years part-time) taught masters course commencing in September. Bioinformatics is a fast-growing field at the intersection of biology, mathematics, and computer science. Bioinformatics seeks to create, advance, and apply computer/software-based solutions to solve formal and practical problems arising from the management and analysis of very large biological data sets. Such applications include genome sequence analysis, such as the human genome, the human microbiome, analysis of genetic variation within populations, and analysis of gene expression patterns. Major research efforts in the bioinformatics field include sequence alignment, gene finding, genome assembly, protein structure alignment, protein structure prediction, modelling of DNA and protein evolution, analysis of genetic variation in populations, and analysis of gene expression, protein-protein interaction and protein mass spectrometry data. Another emerging area within bioinformatics is systems biology, which examines how individual biological components (e.g. metabolic pathways, genes, proteins, organelles, cells, physiological systems, organisms) interact in a network to produce observable phenotypes of a whole organism or body system. As part of our MSc programme, students carry out a three-month research project in a research group in UCC or in an external university, research institute, or industry. The programming and data handling skills that you will develop, along with your exposure to an interdisciplinary research environment, will be very attractive to potential employers. This programme may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme. The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over two years. Show less

Have a solid background in the theory behind bioinformatics methods and tools so that they can critically evaluate research in bioinformatics;
Use existing bioinformatics methods and tools and rapidly learn to apply new methods and tools;
Organise and analyse large data sets generated by genomics and systems biology approaches;
Understand the role of modelling and simulation of biological systems;
Have a deep knowledge of the aspect of bioinformatics in which they carried out their three-month research project. This experience will prepare them for a future research career in the bioinformatics field.
Staff on this programme include programme coordinator Dr Marcus Cleeson, from the School of Microbiology, and associated staff from the Schools of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Biochemistry & Cell Biology and the Department of Computer Science.

Why Choose This Course
Working in the field of bioinformatics is both a challenging and satisfying job, which often involves problem-solving, programming, statistical analyses of large data sets and mathematical modelling of biological phenomena. It is possible for a bioinformatician to work on many different biological questions and types of data sets, making this an interesting and exciting field to work in.

A bioinformatician’s day-to-day work can involve studying many different fascinating and important biological questions, such as:

What are the genetic differences between the DNA of humans and chimpanzees?
How many genes are there in the human genome, and can we identify them all?
What differences exist in the DNA of different people, and how does that affect their health, appearance & behaviour?
Is it possible to create a computer program to analyse the DNA sequences of 1000 different individual humans, and to reconstruct their genetic history? (see The International Genome Sample Resource.)
What are the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells?
How do new drug-resistant strains of malaria evolve from existing strains, and can we predict what strains will emerge in the future?
What bacteria are present in different environments, such as different parts of the human body in people of different ages, populations, and health?
How are different animal groups (e.g. humans, flies, jellyfish, earthworms, etc.) related to each other, and when and where did they evolve from a common ancestor?
And so on!

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You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

How to book:

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it

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