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UCL Division of Biosciences

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About the Division of Biosciences

The Division of Biosciences is one of the world’s leading centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences, and one of the largest groupings of life scientists in the UK. The Division of Biosciences is part of the Faculty of Life Sciences.

We have an outstanding international reputation, and a community of over 550 staff and 300 PhD students engaged in cutting edge research and collaboration. We proudly hold a Bronze Award from Athena SWAN and are working towards a Silver Award.

The Division comprises four Research Departments: Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB), Genetics, Evolution and Environment (GEE), Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology (NPP) and Structural and Molecular Biology (SMB). Together our multi-disciplinary research activity spans structural and molecular biology through cells and tissues to organisms, populations and the environment. Over 80% of our activity was rated at the highest levels in our joint submission with Birkbeck College in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and our constituent Research Departments were consistently rates at the highest levels in previous Research Assessment Exercises (RAE).

We proudly host several embedded research institutes including the Centre for Environment and Biodiversity (CBER), the Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE) and the UCL Genetics Institute (UGI). Our Research Department of Structural and Molecular Biology is joined with the Department of Biology from Birkbeck College to form the Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology (ISMB) shared by the two institutions. We also host three UCL-wide Research Domains, in MicrobiologyNeuroscience and Food, Metabolism and Society.

Our educational activity includes delivery of undergraduate programmes to over 1500 science students in areas such as biomedical sciences, medicine, neuroscience, physiology and pharmacology and an expanding number of Masters Programmes. The Division also jointly hosts the doctoral research programmes, the BBSRC London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme (LIDo) and the UCL Wellcome Trust Neuroscience PhD Programme, with our colleagues in the University of London.

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Sustainability in the Faculty of Life Sciences

We are passionate about sustainability and sharing our expertise with broader audiences for genuine impact.

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History of UCL Biosciences

Learn about the early years of the Division of Biosciences and how they were shaped by distinguished scholars and thinkers.

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Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Wellbeing

Find information on employment policies and initiatives, as well as training and support networks.

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Reimbursements for visa and immigration costs for Researchers

Information on assistance that can be provided for newly appointed Researchers (Grade 6-8) who require help with meeting the costs of their immigration application when applying for a Skilled Worker Route Visa (SWR).