About us

Biosciences at the University of Exeter is a rapidly expanding international centre for research and teaching in the biological and biochemical sciences; committed to providing high quality education across the spectrum of the biological sciences at both our Exeter and Cornwall campuses.

A leading research-intensive department

• The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise rated 90 per cent of our research as internationally competitive with world-leading outputs identified in all of our research groups.
• The current value of ongoing research within Biosciences is more than £40 million funded from research councils (BBSRC, EPSRC, NERC, MRC), charities (eg, Leverhulme Trust, Wellcome Trust), UK government (eg, DEFRA, Royal Society, DSTL), the EU Commission, and industrial companies (eg, Shell Research Ltd, Syngenta).
• Our success rate in BBSRC response mode is above the national average and the School ranks in the top six universities for successful NERC awards.
• Research from the department regularly appears in Science, Nature and other leading specialist journals, continuing to make an impact across the subject.
• We maintain multiple external research links which not only impact on our programme of research but also enhance our teaching programme; from guest lectures and industrial placements to a BBSRC-funded MSc in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture working with BBSRC Rothamsted-North Wyke, FERA and DEFRA scientists.

Providing an excellent learning environment

• We have excellent teaching and research facilities, including state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, next generation DNA sequencing and metabolomic infrastructure.
• A £25 million investment in new laboratories in the Geoffrey Pope building will extend the outstanding facilities provided on both of our campuses.

A diverse teaching portfolio

• The department offers one of the broadest Single Honours Biological Sciences degrees in the UK alongside specialist degrees in biochemistry, conservation biology and ecology, evolutionary biology, human biosciences, molecular biology, and zoology.
• Postgraduate programmes reflect our broad research expertise and provide students with an opportunity to undertake further study, specialise in an area of personal interest and enhance their employability.
• We offer extensive fieldwork opportunities and capitalise on the spectacular natural setting of the South West. Students have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork at various research sites across the world, with undergraduate trips to the Bahamas, Africa and Cyprus, and postgraduate fieldcourses in Africa and on board the Cefas research ship.
• Teaching is research-led with modules reflecting the current research of our leading academics.

Inspiring future bioscientists

• We provide a number of practical workshops for visiting students, from Key Stage 2 to A level. Activities aim to inspire students to embark on an exciting career as a bioscientist, helping to solve many of the critical problems facing the planet, from the effects of climate change on biodiversity, to the threat of emerging diseases