Evolutionary Biology MPhil – (M.Phil.)

The MPhil is a one-year research degree where students get the opportunity to study a specific research project. The MPhil degree can act as a stand-alone degree for applicants who would like to gain experience in a specific area, or can be linked to a PhD programme. Rather than register on a direct entry 3 or 4 year PhD, some postgraduates may first register on a one-year MPhil programme. Subsequently students may then wish to transfer on to a full PhD programme with a further 2 or 3 years of study.
Evolution is the key to understanding many questions in the life sciences. To comprehend the diversity of life on Earth, it is essential to know the evolutionary relations between organisms and the processes by which new traits originate and are maintained. In the biomedical sciences, comparisons of model organisms to humans, emergence of antibiotic resistance, or the identification of pathogen strains from molecular information all concern evolutionary processes. Therefore, evolution is of central importance for most areas of the life sciences. Members of the Evolutionary Biology group are investigating a wide range of questions about evolutionary patterns and processes in microbes, plants and animals. Particular strengths are evolutionary genetics and genomics, the genetic architecture and evolution of complex traits, and evolutionary developmental biology. The breadth of research topics in the group is reflected in a diversity of techniques used and an extensive network of collaborations with other researchers within the Faculty of Life Sciences and throughout the world.