The School of Biological Sciences is a School within the
Faculty Biology, Medicine and Health at The
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
. Biology at University of Manchester and its precursor institutions has gone through a number of reorganizations (see History below), the latest of which was the change from a Faculty of Life Sciences to the current School.
Academics
Research
The School, though unitary for teaching, is divided into a number of broadly defined sections for research purposes, these sections consist of: Cellular Systems, Disease Systems, Molecular Systems, Neuro Systems and Tissue Systems.
Research in the School is structured into multiple research groups including the following themes:
*Cell-Matrix Research (part of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research)
*Cell Organisation and Dynamics
*Computational and Evolutionary Biology
*Developmental Biology
*Environmental Research
*Eye and Vision Sciences
*Gene Regulation and Cellular Biotechnology
*History of Science, Technology and Medicine
*Immunology and Molecular Microbiology
*Molecular Cancer Studies
*Neurosciences (part of the University of Manchester Neurosciences Research Institute)
*Physiological Systems & Disease
*Structural and Functional Systems
The School hosts a number of research centres, including: the Manchester Centre for Biophysics and Catalysis, the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, the Centre of Excellence in Biopharmaceuticals, the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, the Centre for Integrative Mammalian Biology, and the Healing Foundation Centre for Tissue Regeneration. The Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research is a joint endeavour with the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences of Manchester University and industrial partners.
Research Assessment Exercise (2008)
The faculty entered research into the units of assessment (UOA) for Biological Sciences and Pre-clinical and Human Biological Sciences. In Biological Sciences 20% of outputs were rated 4* (World Class) and 40% 3* (Internationally Excellent), for 107 category A staff. In the Pre-clinical unit, 20% were rated 4* and 45% 3*, for 72 category A staff. Quality assessment by Grade Point Average (GPA) ranks the faculty 3rd and 2nd in the UK for these units respectively
History of biological sciences at the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST
Department of Zoology (
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...
, 1879–1986)
Zoology was taught at Manchester
since the foundation of
Owens College Owens may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Owens Station, Delaware
*Owens Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota
*Owens, Missouri
*Owens, Ohio
*Owens, Virginia
People
* Owens (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Owens Bro ...
in 1851 when
William Crawford Williamson was appointed professor of natural history with responsibilities to teach botany, physiology, geology and zoology. His teaching load was reduced by the creation of independent chairs in geology (1874), and zoology (1879).
Williamson embodied a traditional view of
natural history, with its strong bias to taxonomic classification. From the 1860s onwards this approach began to change under the influence of German university biologists. The appointment of
Arthur Milnes Marshall
Arthur Milnes Marshall (1852–1893) was an English zoologist, known also as an administrator at Victoria University.
Life
Born in Birmingham on 8 June 1852, he was the third son of William P. Marshall, secretary of the Institution of Civil Engi ...
(1852–1893) as professor of zoology at Owens in 1879 led to the adoption of this 'new biology' approach at Manchester. Marshall had been trained by these methods at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
. Marshall modernised the zoology curriculum, introduced courses in elementary biology and
embryology
Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, '' -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...
, and lobbied for the establishment of dedicated research laboratories. In 1887, the Beyer laboratories were opened, funded by a local industrialist,
C. F. Beyer; they were conveniently placed next to the
Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum is a museum displaying works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history and is owned by the University of Manchester, in England. Sited on Oxford Road ( A34) at the heart of the university's group of neo-Gothic buildings, ...
.
Marshall's career ended when he was killed in a climbing accident.
Marshall was succeeded by
Sydney Hickson (1859–1940) in 1894 who held the chair until 1926. He was a marine zoologist and an expert in the study of corals. Under Hickson the department saw steady growth in staff and students, with the emergence of distinct research specialisms. On his retirement in 1926, he was succeeded by J. S. Dunkerly (1881–1930) a protozoologist and an authority on
Flagellates
A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word ''flagellate'' also describes a particular construction (or level of organization) characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their ...
from the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
who died in 1931. Herbert Graham Cannon (1897–1963), previously professor of zoology at Sheffield, was elected to the
Beyer
:''See also Bayer (surname) and buyer.''
Beyer is mostly a German family name, occurring most commonly in German-speaking countries. It can be either habitational (derived from ''Bayer'', which is the male German language demonym for Bavaria) or ...
chair in his place. In 1948 R. Dennell was appointed professor of experimental zoology. The current holder of the Beyer Chair is Professor Andrew Loudon, who studies biological clocks in animals.
During the 1960s and 1980s the work of the Department included J. Gordon Blower's work on the population genetics of
millipede
Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...
s, RR Askew's work on parasitic and other
insects
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...
,
Yalden's on the distribution of fauna in the
Peak District National Park Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...
and the mammals of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, Gabbutt's on the biology of the
pseudoscorpion
Pseudoscorpions, also known as false scorpions or book scorpions, are small, scorpion-like arachnids belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, also known as Pseudoscorpionida or Chelonethida.
Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans sin ...
s, R. D. Butler's on the contractile systems in
protozoa
Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...
, and Roger Wood's on the genetics of mosquitoes.
By the 1980s, it was recognised that some of the distinctions between the traditional biological disciplines were no longer as relevant as in the past and the University instituted a major review of the biological sciences at the University. A working party was established under Professor John Willmott that recommended greater integration in teaching and research between traditional biological disciplines, and a closer relationship between biological and medical departments. This led to the creation of a School of Biological Sciences in 1986, based on four divisions: biochemistry and molecular biology, cell and structural biology, environmental biology and physiological sciences. Nine departments of the faculties of science and medicine were abolished, including Botany and Zoology. Professor A. P. J. (Tony) Trinci (a
microbiologist
A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...
) was the first chairman of the School of Biological Sciences. Fourteen members of the Department of Botany joined the new division of cell and structural biology, and six became part of environmental biology.
Professors of Zoology, at the Victoria University of Manchester included
*
Arthur Milnes Marshall
Arthur Milnes Marshall (1852–1893) was an English zoologist, known also as an administrator at Victoria University.
Life
Born in Birmingham on 8 June 1852, he was the third son of William P. Marshall, secretary of the Institution of Civil Engi ...
1879–1893
*
Sydney John Hickson
Sydney John Hickson FRS (25 June 1859 – 6 February 1940), was a British zoologist known for his groundbreaking research in evolution, embryology, genetics, and systematics.
Hickson travelled in the Malay archipelago in 1885–1886. He was ap ...
1894–1926
* John S. Dunkerly 1926–1931
*
Herbert Graham Cannon
Herbert Graham Cannon FRS FRSE FLS FRMS (1897–1963) was a leading English zoologist and keen supporter of Lamarckism.
Life
He was born in Wimbledon, London on 14 April 1897 to David William Cannon, a compositor with Eyre & Spottiswoode, the ...
1931–1963
* Ralph Dennell 1963–1974 (professor of experimental zoology from 1948)
*
Arthur Cain
Arthur James Cain FRS (25 July 1921 – 20 August 1999) was a British evolutionary biologist and ecologist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1989.
Life
Arthur James Cain was awarded an open scholarship in 1939 (Demyship) to Mag ...
1964–1968
* Edwin Trueman 1969–1982
* D. M. Guthrie 1982- (?)
Department of Botany (Victoria University of Manchester, 1879–1986)
Botany has been also taught at Manchester since 1851 when William Crawford Williamson (1816–1896) was appointed as professor of natural history, anatomy and physiology. Williamson originally taught botany, zoology, geology and comparative anatomy. This teaching burden was reduced with the establishment of chairs in geology (1872) and zoology (1879), and with the creation of the Medical School in 1872 eventually allowing Williamson to concentrate on botany. As in zoology, there was an initial concentration on taxonomy until the newer systematic ideas took hold.
New botanical laboratories were added west of the Beyer building in 1911, including a physiological laboratory, and remained in use until the 1970s, when the Department was transferred to the Williamson building.
In the 1930s research interests were developed in horticulture, assisted by funds from the
Royal Botanical Society of Manchester
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ci ...
. A plant geneticist
F. W. Sansome (1902–1981) was appointed as lecturer in horticulture in 1935, and land was acquired at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire for experimental research in horticulture. This was later used as the site of the famous
Jodrell Bank Observatory
Jodrell Bank Observatory () in Cheshire, England, hosts a number of radio telescopes as part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. The observatory was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astron ...
and
Lovell Telescope
The Lovell Telescope is a radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England. When construction was finished in 1957, the telescope was the largest steerable dish radio telescope in the world at 76 ...
.
On the formation of the new School of Biological Sciences fourteen members of the Department of Botany joined the new division of cell and structural biology, and six became part of environmental biology.
The named chairs on botany included:
Harrison Professors of Botany:
*
William Crawford Williamson 1851–1892 (originally as professor of natural history)
*
Frederick Ernest Weiss
Frederick Ernest Weiss FRS FLS VMH (2 November 1865 – 7 January 1953) was an Anglo-German Botanist. He was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in 1947.
Education
Weiss was educated at the Owens College (later Victoria University of Manche ...
1892–1930
*
James Montagu Frank Drummond FRSE
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
1930–1946
*
Eric Ashby 1946–1950
*
S. C. Harland 1950–1958
*
Claude Wardlaw
Claude Wilson Wardlaw (4 February 1901 – 16 December 1985) was a British botanist, who specialised in diseases of the banana. 1958–1966
*
David Henriques Valentine 1966–1979
*
Elizabeth Cutter 1979–1989
Barker Professors of Cryptogamic Botany:
*
William Henry Lang
William Henry Lang FRS FRSE FLS (12 May 1874–29 August 1960) was a British botanist and served as Barker professor of cryptogamic botany at the University of Manchester. He was also a specialist in paleobotany.
Life
The son of Thomas Bilsl ...
1909–1940
*
Claude Wilson Wardlaw 1940–1958
* John Colhoun 1960–1980
* Anthony Peter Joseph Trinci 1981–2001
School of Biological Sciences (Victoria University of Manchester, 1986–2004)
In addition to the trend to a less compartmentalised approach to biology the government in the 1980s was cutting spending on universities but trying to preserve engineering and medicine. But ultimately the motivation for reform was an assessment by the UGC that was critical of all biological sciences in Manchester. While Physiology and Anatomy fared best they were only rated as 'Average'. Biochemistry, Botany, and Zoology were all 'Below Average', the lowest rank attributable. Biological science in Manchester not only ranked well below Cambridge, Oxford and the London Colleges but was also worse than its civic university competitors such as Liverpool and Leeds and as well as many newer universities such as Reading, Southampton, Swansea and Leicester.
A new School of Biological Sciences was created in 1986 with four new departments: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell and Structural Biology, Physiological Sciences, and Environmental Biology. In 1993 the departments were combined to create a single department school;
Keith Gull, as Head of Biochemistry and Research Dean, was heavily involved in these developments. Concentration on the application of molecular biology techniques to address biological research issues led to a marked improvement in the levels achieved in research and, by extension, teaching as measured by external assessment. This was also reflected in a marked increase in funding from research councils and charities and in the higher profile life sciences gained within the university.
Department of Biomolecular Sciences (
UMIST
The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) was a university based in the centre of the city of Manchester in England. It specialised in technical and scientific subjects and was a major centre for research. On 1 Oct ...
, 1959–2004)
Known by a number of names during its lifespan, the department was formed as the Department of Biochemistry, under Professor
Alan Eddy, in 1959. It was created from the previously-existing Brewing Chemistry department. In the early 1980s the then novel discipline of
molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...
was introduced with the appointment of Paul Broda to a chair in this field, the department subsequently being known as Biochemistry and Applied Molecular Biology (BAMBi). The department was particularly strong in the molecular biology of
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...
, under the direction of
Stephen Oliver. In 1992 the Oliver group co-ordinated the production of the first complete
DNA sequence of an entire
chromosome
A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...
, chromosome III of the yeast ''S. cerevisiae''.
The prominence of molecular biology approaches and industrial relevance at UMIST acted to some extent as a paradigm for the reorganisation of biological sciences which took place in the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s at the Victoria University of Manchester; however, medical rather than industrial relevance was to take a more prominent role at the latter institution. Some medically relevant research was also carried out in the UMIST department, which had a
leukaemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
research unit and a group working on the molecular biology of
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
parasites.
During the 1990s biological sciences saw considerable expansion within UMIST, including the creation of new professorial chairs and the appointment of a considerable number of new lecturers. The disciplines of biotechnology and structural biology were especially prominent in the research interests of the new appointments. In this period the name of the department changed, once again, to 'Biomolecular Sciences' (BMS). The research strengths within the Life Sciences at UMIST and the Victoria University of Manchester had relatively limited overlap, and were to a degree complementary, when the merger of the two universities took place in 2004.
Faculty of Life Sciences (UoM 2004-2016)
The Faculty of Life Sciences was one of the four faculties that comprised the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
. It was established in 2004 from the merger of its constituent departments: Biological Sciences and the Centre for the History of Science, Technology & Medicine in the
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...
and Biomolecular Sciences and Optometry & Neuroscience at
UMIST
The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) was a university based in the centre of the city of Manchester in England. It specialised in technical and scientific subjects and was a major centre for research. On 1 Oct ...
. Uniquely for Manchester it was a faculty consisting of only one school.
On 25 June 2015 Manchester University announced the results of a review of the position of life sciences as a separate faculty. In August 2016 the faculty was dismantled in a restructuring exercise, reducing the number of faculties in the university from four to three. The majority of the personnel of the faculty were incorporated into a new Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, with a substantial minority moving to the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
The term
Life sciences
This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...
is generally understood to be wider than
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, including for example interdisciplinary areas that lie between biology and medicine. The inclusion of Optmetry and Neuroscience in the Faculty reflects this intention while some other areas generally included in a definition of Life Sciences, such as Biomedical Imaging and Pharmacy, are located in the
Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences at Manchester.
As of 2008, the Faculty taught 2200 undergraduate students, had 467 postgraduate students and 270 academic staff.
[Faculty of Life Sciences, About u]
Accessed 1 January 2009 In the 2008
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was an exercise undertaken approximately every five years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils ( HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DELNI) to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British h ...
the Faculty came 3rd in the UK on the basis of Grade Point Average for Biological Sciences with 107 staff submitted, and 2nd in the UK for Preclinical and Human Biological Sciences with 72 staff submitted.
Science communication and public engagement
The Life Sciences Podcast/Broadcast
The School of Biological Sciences had its own long-running podcast (and later video broadcast), where scientists within the faculty are interviewed about their research, as well as recently published high-impact papers, books and events they are involved with. Past guests include established researchers such as professor
Daniel Davis
Daniel Davis (born November 26, 1945) is an American film, stage and television actor.
Davis is best known for portraying Niles the butler on the sitcom ''The Nanny'' (1993 to 1999), and for his two guest appearances as Professor Moriarty on ...
, author of ''The Compatibility Gene, Dr David Kirby, author of ''Lab coats in Hollywood'', Dr.
Sheena Cruickshank
Sheena Margaret Cruickshank is a British immunologist and Professor in Biomedical Sciences and Public Engagement at the University of Manchester. She researches how immune responses of the gut are started as a result of infection and/or inflammat ...
, winner of the
Society of Biology
The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...
Science Communication award (2013) and nobel prize winner Sir
John Sulston
Sir John Edward Sulston (27 March 1942 – 6 March 2018) was a British biologist and academic who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the cell lineage and genome of the worm ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' in 2002 with ...
. The podcast also features interviews with budding new scientists within the school, including high-achieving undergraduates and PhD students, such as the Manchester
iGEM team. The broadcasts later went on to explore broader themes within Life Sciences.
References
External links
Official websiteArchive of the University of Manchester, Department of ZoologyThe Life Sciences Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faculty Of Life Sciences (University Of Manchester)
Biology education in the United Kingdom
Biology organisations based in the United Kingdom
Departments of the University of Manchester
Science education in the United Kingdom