Bioinformatics Saarland University

Overview

Bioinformatics now plays a key role not only in genetics but in many other fields, such as AIDS research and cancer therapy. Saarland University is one of the leading centres of bioinformatics in Germany. The internationally respected Center for Bioinformatics (CBI) on the Saarbrücken campus is home to biologists, medical scientists, pharmacologists and computer scientists who collaborate closely to develop new drugs and to improve and enhance the diagnosis and therapy of diseases. The excellent student-staff ratio – on average there is one instructor to every four students – enables students on the programme to gain early exposure to questions of current research interest.

The programme

One of the characteristic features of the M.Sc. programme in Bioinformatics at Saarland University is its aim to encourage interdisciplinary networking by incorporating topics and ideas from contemporary research and by maintaining direct ties to laboratory research being carried out at the university and in industry. Students on the programme address such wide-ranging topics as genetics, drug research, virology, biotechnology and bioreaction engineering. In the informatics part of the programme, students cover such areas as data structures and algorithms, machine learning, computer graphics and database systems, artificial intelligence and software engineering. In addition, students acquire knowledge of other fields such as project management and patent law.