Biological Sciences with Richard Badge

University of Leicester

Join Richard Badge as he introduces Biological Sciences at the University of Leicester within the overarching concept that the biological sciences are changing. He looks closely at biology’s big data, considering how computers are integral to biology, identifies what a genome is and looks at the journey from genetics to epigenetics. Richard goes on to discuss how research projects are fundamental to the course, and how the technology underlying computers is essential for biological analysis, with a focus on DNA sequencing.

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Meet the academic

Richard Badge

University of Leicester

Dr Richard Badge grew up in the historic port city of Plymouth, United Kingdom. In 1989 he went up to study Pure and Applied Biology at Keble College Oxford University, and then went on to complete a PhD in the evolutionary population biology and molecular genetics of fruit fly transposable elements at the University of Nottingham. After a postdoctoral period in Nottingham he secured a Wellcome Trust International Travelling Fellowship to work on human transposable elements at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He completed this Fellowship in the Department of Genetics University of Leicester in the group of Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys FRS. Now, as an Associate Professor in Bioinformatics in the Department of Genetics, he uses computational and molecular genomic methods to study human rodent and primate transposable elements.

1. Biological Sciences is changing…

Episodes

1. Biological Sciences is changing

2. Exploring biology’s big data

3. Making your (digital) mark in the Biological Sciences

4. Taking the computer to the biology

In episode 4, Richard looks at the technology underlying computers and how it is essential for biological analysis, with a focus on DNA sequencing.

5. Recap and future…

Bonus: Bridging the Gap

2. Exploring Biology’s Big Data

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3. Making Your (Digital) Mark in the Biological Sciences

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4. Taking the Computer to the Biology

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5. Recap and Future…

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Course snapshot

As the knowledge base in the biological sciences grows exponentially and technology becomes ever more sophisticated, the ability to think broadly about biology and to apply your knowledge across the boundaries of traditional disciplines will inevitably become a very valuable and powerful asset both in scientific environments and in many other walks of life.

This is the most flexible of all the University of Leicester’s Biological Sciences degrees. Packed with exciting subjects and transferable employability skills, you will get the maximum choice of topics to choose from in Years 2 and 3. This means that you can learn about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the full range of biological sciences or you can focus on just the parts that you develop a passion for; you can even see these mechanisms in action on field trips. The analytical and critical skills you acquire by studying Biological Sciences are valued by researchers and employers in non-scientific fields.

This course is identical to the first three years of the MBiolSci in Biological Sciences.

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University of Leicester

The University of Leicester aims to educate, equip and encourage their students to forge a better future. As Citizens of Change, Leicester's research excellence is changing lives and having transformative impact across the globe. Ranked as a Top 30 University, their students and staff make up a powerhouse for ground-breaking research, including being in the top ten UK universities for their COVID-19 research; locating the remains of King Richard III; and the discovery of DNA fingerprinting. Located right in the heart of the East Midlands, Leicester prides itself in being one of the UK’s most multi-cultural cities, playing host to a number of cultural festivals such as a colorful Caribbean Carnival and the largest Diwali celebrations outside of India.

Biology

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