Application deadline

Type of course

Admission requirements

Local admission, application code 9371 - master's level singular course. Admission requires a bachelor's degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualification, with a major in biology, biotechnology or chemistry of minimum 80 ECTS.

Recommended prerequisites: One or several of following courses (or equivalent): BIO-2001 Fysiologi I, BIO-2513 Marin Biodiversitet, BIO-2601 Generell mikrobiologi, BIO-2606 Generell og marin bioteknologi, MAT-1001, MAT-1002, MAT-1003 Calculus 1,2 & 3, Linear Algebra MAT-1004

Course content

• Microbial (algal) growth kinetics
• Cultivation, fermentation and photo-bioreactors
• Metabolism and metabolic engineering
• Basic principles of systems and synthetic biology

Objectives of the course

By the completion of the course, students are expected to have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge: 

• Comprehensive knowledge of the quantitative aspects of microbial cell growth, cultivation, metabolic engineering and modern practices in synthetic biology.
• basic understanding to the "biological design approach" 

Skills: 

• quantitative problem-solving skills in the context of different microbial biotechnology applications including marine microalgae and genetic devices. 
• the ability to apply knowledge of modern biology to different biotechnological and bioengineering applications 
• basic ability to solve biology and bioengineering problems in the open coding language R 
• ability to communicate effectively in professional/technical settings 

General competence: 

• ability to independently gain technical knowledge from available scientific literature

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

The course is comprised of 15 lectures (2 hrs). The syllabus is made up of relevant scientific articles and fact sheets that will be given out after the lectures.

There will be problem-based homework assignments for each section. There will be individual and group projects; students will write project reports and make at least one oral presentation during the course. We may have guest lectures from domain experts.

Assessment

The exam consists of 4 parts, each counting 25% of the final grade:

• Portfolio of 5 take home problem sets counts 25%
• Portfolio of 2 projects (one written and one oral presentation) counts 25%
• Midterm written problem set (to be performed within a 2 hour exam) counts 25%
• Final, written problem set (to be performed within a 2 hour exam) counts 25%

All elements of the exam portfolio must be delivered with a clear presentation of the problem and a solution such that it is understandable by professional scientists and engineers. A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail. All four parts must be passed in order to pass the course. Take home problem sets will be handed in on the specified due date.

Coursework requirements: 

• Professionality

Students will be expected to act professionally; as if they are training for a paid position in a biotechnology industry, business, government agency or university. Acting like a professional includes the following activities: thoughtful participation in during lectures; providing critical and positive feedback to peers; being respectful and courteous to all peers, instructors and guests; using and developing proper forms of professional communication (such as email, share drives, electronic documents); and being present and punctual for all course activities. Students are expected to attend all classes and to participate actively. If students must miss a class, they are expected to inform the instructor in advance. Re-sit: There will be no re-sit exam.