Høst 2023

BIO-8017 Biological timekeeping - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for arktisk og marin biologi

Type of course

The course is for PhD students specialising in chronobiology who have no formal training in chronobiology.

The course is available as a singular course.

PhD students at UiT register for classes and exam in StudentWeb before 1 September. The registration starts in middle of May.

Other applicants apply for admission through SøknadsWeb before 1 June. Application code: 9301. For applicants who are granted a seat, a study right will be created, and these applicants apply for a seat by registering for classes in StudentWeb before 1 September.

The study right gives the applicant admission to register to other open PhD courses or apply for a seat to PhD courses where entry is limited.

Course contents

This course focuses on biological timekeeping (chronobiology) in animals, covering time-scales from hours to years. It covers the eco-evolutionary and biomedical importance of innate timing processes, the formalisms necessary for their study and the physiological mechanisms through which biological timekeeping is achieved.

Admission requirements

Who can apply as a singular course student:

PhD student enrolled at another institution than UiT. PhD students must upload a document from their university stating that there are registered PhD students. This group of applicants does not have to prove English proficiency and are exempt from semester fee.
Holders of a master´s degree of five years or 3+2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted. These applicants must upload a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. Applicants from listed countries must document proficiency in English. To find out if this applies to you, see the following list: Proficiency in English must be documented - list of countries. For more information on accepted English proficiency tests and scores, as well as exemptions from the English proficiency tests, please see the following document: Proficiency in english - PhD level studies

Objective of the course

Knowledge and skills:

The course aims to establish understanding in the following areas:

The key principles and intellectual formalisms of chronobiology
The evolutionary origins and ecological importance of biological timekeeping, and its relevance in biomedical contexts
The mechanistic basis to biological timekeeping at levels from the genetics to the whole organism

General skills:

Understanding the process of generating scientific knowledge
Science communication, orally and in writing
Review and extraction of relevant information from scientific research papers
Critical analysis of scientific literature
Presentation of scientific content clearly and in logical order while using language appropriate for the audience and occasion
Proposing, discussing and evaluating hypotheses

Language of instruction

English

Teaching methods

Lectures/Seminars 12 x 2 hrs, based on pre-reading assignments. Approx. 200 hrs pre-reading assignments of primary literature. 4 hr actogram analysis practical to understand formal principles of chronobiology. 6 hr Adaptive value session to understand the ecological/evolutionary importance of clocks and assess appropriate scientific methods to ascertain "adaptive value" - through reading of primary literature and presentation to peers.