Evolutionary Genomics
About
The course in Evolutionary Genomics is suitable for you who
- is fascinated by the explosion in genome data
- wants to learn how to analyse, interpret and understand DNA sequences
- wonders why cells, individuals and species differ, and what it means.
You will learn
- population genetics to understand genetic differences within and between populations
- molecular evolution to interpret small sequence differences in DNA, RNA and proteins
- phylogeny to investigate the relationship between species, populations and genes
- genome evolution to understand large changes in the genome.
You will learn to handle, interpret and understand large sets of DNA data and tell which differences are good, bad and neutral.
The course will also deal with subjects such as the genetic history of man, the Neanderthal inside you, speciation, cancer, antibiotics resistance, jumping genes and the never-ending conflict between X- and Y-chromosomes.
Teaching
The course gives you theoretical and practical skills in DNA sequence analysis. It consists of
- lectures where you learn the most important things in population genetics, molecular evolution, phylogeny and genome evolution.
- scientific articles on human evolution and adaptation which you will present.
- problem solving exercises to teach you how to address common problems in evolutionary genomics.
If you lack previous experience of computational sciences, you will first learn the basics of programming and then proceed with learning fundamental DNA sequence analysis. You will also learn experimental evolution and to study evolutionary changes in microbes in a course lab.
The course is taught in English.
Prerequisites and selection
Entry requirements
Passed basic courses in biology comprising 60 credits in the subject areas of cell biology, molecular genetics, evolution, botanical and zoological physiology, ecology and biodiversity and systematics, or equivalent courses. English proficiency is required to the level of English 6/English Course B from Swedish Upper Secondary School, or be certified by an international recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS. In addition, a passed advanced course in Biology is required, one of the courses Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics (e.g. 210), Advanced Functional Genomics (e.g. BIO406), Advanced Bioinformatics (e.g. BIO403) or Genetics (e.g.BIO555) is recommended.
Selection
Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.
After graduation
The course in Evolutionary Genomics is included in the Master’s programme in Genomics and Systems Biology. It can also be applied for as a stand-alone course.
This course is for students who want to work in biological or medical fields where DNA change and variation is central. Evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics, cancer genetics and medical genetics are some examples. DNA data becomes also increasingly important in, for instance, crime scene investigations, conservation biology and biotechnology.
The job market is large and expands rapidly. Alumni from the course work, among others, in the pharmaceutical, food, biotech, diagnostics, software development and education sector. Many do research in biology, medicine, mathematics or computer science.
Facilities
The course is given on Campus Medicinareberget.
More information about facilities
