Life Sciences, University of Dundee

16/10/2026

Thinking about studying Biological or Biomedical Sciences at Dundee?

Join us at our Open Day on Saturday 31 October to explore our campus and facilities, discover more about our degree courses and get a feel for student life.

Attend our subject talk, meet our lecturers and chat with current students about their experiences of studying and living in Dundee.

Register now: https://buff.ly/saurmuU

14/10/2026

Meet Our Graduate: Samuel

Samuel graduated this summer from the University of Dundee with a BSc (Hons) in Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery and has now started his first graduate job.

Samuel gained valuable laboratory experience through a summer research project in the Pawlowic Lab, investigating Cryptosporidium, and completed his Honours project in the Ciulli Lab, where he developed inhibitors targeting a specific type of cancer.

“I would like to thank the many academics and researchers who supported me during my time at Dundee. In particular, I am grateful to Dr Mattie Christine Pawlowic, Sarah Stevens, and the wider MCP Group for giving me my first real insight into scientific research, reasoning beyond the whiteboard and undergraduate labs, in a field that has fascinated me throughout my education.”

“I am also incredibly thankful to Professor Alessio Ciulli for hosting me as his Honours student and to Dr Roberta Ibba for her day-to-day guidance during my Honours project. Their mentorship not only helped me achieve first-class grades in my thesis, viva, and poster presentation but also provided me with a genuinely inspiring research experience and project.”

“Whether through collaboration, conversation, or simply crossing paths throughout my projects during my time in Dundee, the staff who make up the undergraduate courses and research groups have always had a willingness to answer questions, challenge my thinking, and encourage scientific curiosity, which has played an important role in my continuing development as both a student, now graduate, and an aspiring scientist.”

Samuel is now taking the next step in his scientific career, joining Chemify as a Synthetic Production Chemist. We wish him every success in this exciting new role and look forward to seeing what he achieves next.

If you have been inspired by Samuel’s story, you can learn more about our courses: https://buff.ly/smARE0J

Looking at 2027 entry? Register for our Open Day on Saturday 31 October: https://buff.ly/saurmuU

We have been the top UK university for Biological Sciences research since 2014 (Research Excellence Framework).

Discover your future, discover your Dundee.

📸 Photo credit: Samuel (images 1&2).

13/10/2026

What can you discover in eight weeks?

As part of their Biological and Biomedical degrees, our students have opportunities to spend their summer embedded in a research lab, working on a specific scientific project alongside researchers.

We asked Catherine Palmer, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences student, about their summer research experience studying how microglia metabolism contributes to Alzheimer's Disease pathology in the lab of Dr Amy Lloyd.

"I've benefitted massively from learning new techniques. [I used] image analysis to identify changes in mitochondrial protein expression, and immunohistochemical analysis to identify mitochondrial density changes and morphology in plaque-associated and non-plaque-associated microglia. I helped create MitoQC and AutoQC BV2 cell lines and used these to identify if amyloid beta could induce autophagy directly.

“I've loved meeting a bunch of lovely girls in the lab who I immediately clicked with and who made my experience so special. This scholarship has made me want to apply for a Masters/PhD and go into research as a career.”

Catherine summed up her experience as “Fascinating, insightful and fun!”

Read about Catherine’s full experience: https://buff.ly/G2s7iSZ

Find out more about our undergraduate Biological and Biomedical Sciences degrees which are ranked 3rd in the UK by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027: https://buff.ly/smARE0J

Looking at 2027 entry? Register for our Open Day on Saturday 31 October: https://buff.ly/saurmuU

30/09/2026

Meet Our Graduate: Yana

Congratulations to Yana on graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences!

During her studies, Yana gained valuable research experience through a summer project in the Alessi Lab within the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, before completing her Honours Project in the Saurin Lab.

“A special thank you to my summer placement supervisor, Professor Dario Alessi, and my honours project supervisor, Professor Adrian Saurin, for introducing me to the world of research. Your patience, mentorship, and support have been invaluable, and my time in the lab has strengthened both my scientific skills and my passion for research.”

Alongside her academic achievements, Yana made a significant contribution to student life at Dundee, serving as DUSA Vice President of Learning and Teaching and Life Sciences President.

“These experiences challenged me to step outside my comfort zone, strengthened my leadership and communication skills, and allowed me to make a meaningful contribution to the student community.”

In recognition of her dedication and impact, Yana received the School President of the Year 2025/26 Award at the DUSA President’s Awards, alongside the School of Medicine President Kieran.

Reflecting on her time at Dundee, Yana said, “As I leave the University of Dundee, I do so with much more than a degree. I'm taking with me not only knowledge and practical experience in biomedical sciences, but also the confidence, resilience, and skills that have shaped who I am today.”

If you have been inspired by Yana’s story, you can learn more about our courses: https://buff.ly/00IatWm

Looking at 2027 entry? Sign up for our autumn Open Days: https://buff.ly/fzr3LIx

We have been the top UK university for Biological Sciences research since 2014 (Research Excellence Framework).

Discover your future, discover your Dundee.

📸 Photo credit: Yana (images 1-3).

28/09/2026

Bright Club Glasgow is TONIGHT, bringing you live stand-up comedy from real academics - join them at The Stand, Glasgow (doors 7.00pm, show 8.00-10.00pm) to find out the wonderfully funny side of research!

Microbiologist John Clark-Corrigall is representing the University of Dundee, swapping Salmonella for the Stage where he’ll be engaging in bacterial badinage and finding the funny in his research.

Use code BRIGHTCLUB for tickets for just £5!
Ticket link in comments 👇️

£5 for some laughs is great value for money. Go along and lend your support.

23/09/2026

Meet Our Graduate: Finlay

We congratulate Finlay, who graduated this summer with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology.

“The University of Dundee has been an incredible place to study the last few years made even better by the people I’ve met along the way.”

Finlay completed his Honours project, as well as a summer project, in the Pawlowic Lab who study Cryptosporidium. In recognition of his academic performance, Finlay was awarded three prizes! They were the Pharmacology Honours Prize, Drug Development (Scotland) Prize and Undergraduate British Pharmacological Society (BPS) Prize. Amazing achievement!

If you have been inspired by Finlay’s story, you can learn more about our courses: https://buff.ly/00IatWm

Looking at 2027 entry? Sign up for our autumn Open Days: https://buff.ly/fzr3LIx

We have been the top UK university for Biological Sciences research since 2014 (Research Excellence Framework).

Discover your future, discover your Dundee.

📸 Photo credit: Finlay

22/09/2026

Bright Club Glasgow is back, bringing you live stand-up comedy from real academics - join them at The Stand, Glasgow on Mon 28th September (doors 7.00pm, show 8.00-10.00pm) to find out the wonderfully funny side of research!

Microbiologist John Clark-Corrigall is representing the University of Dundee, swapping Salmonella for the Stage where he’ll be engaging in bacterial badinage and finding the funny in his research.

Use code BRIGHTCLUB for tickets for just £5!
Ticket link in comments 👇️

£5 for some laughs is great value for money. Go along and lend your support.

Bright Club is the thinking person variety night. Bright Club’s unique blend of comedy, academia and music has won support from New Scientist, The Guardian, ...

18/09/2026

We are 3rd in the UK (2nd in Scotland) in the subject rankings for Biomedical Sciences and Biological Sciences in the 2027 edition of The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide! 🙌

Big news... we have been ranked in the top 20 of UK universities in the 2027 edition of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide! 🎉

The University of Dundee ranks 20th - a rise of three places - in the guide, which measures the performance of 130 UK universities.

This latest result adds to a strong year of rankings results - we’ve also been ranked:

- 12th in the Daily Mail University Guide
- 21st in The Guardian University Guide
- 25th in the Complete University Guide

Find out why we're a top ranking university by coming along to one of our upcoming Open Days. Register on our website: https://buff.ly/8nGMbvO

18/09/2026

Bright Club Glasgow is back, bringing you live stand-up comedy from real academics - join them at The Stand, Glasgow on Mon 28th September (doors 7.00pm, show 8.00-10.00pm) to find out the wonderfully funny side of research!

Microbiologist John Clark-Corrigall is representing the University of Dundee, swapping Salmonella for the Stage where he’ll be engaging in bacterial badinage and finding the funny in his research.

Use code BRIGHTCLUB for tickets for just £5!
Ticket link in comments 👇️

£5 for some laughs is great value for money. Go along and lend your support.

17/09/2026

We are super proud of Vitalii and his amazing achievement!

Congratulations to Life Sciences student Vitalii Pavlenko, who has been named a Global Winner in The Global Undergraduate Awards 2026!

Thousands of undergraduate students apply for the annual awards, which are judged by a panel of international academics and industry leaders.

Vitalii’s submission, in the Life Sciences category, was selected as the top submission worldwide.

He said, “Receiving the Global Winner award is a great honour, and I am very grateful to everyone who made this project possible.

"My time in the lab was one of the most rewarding parts of my undergraduate degree and gave me the opportunity to explore questions about chromosome organisation using advanced imaging approaches.”

After graduating this summer with a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences, Vitalii continues his higher education at the University, undertaking an MSc by Research within the Faculty of Life Sciences.

Congratulations again, Vitalii - we can't wait to see what you do next!