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BIST and UPF launch 1st Master of Multidisciplinary Research in Experimental Sciences

Program offers practical training in experimental research in various disciplines at BIST centers.

September 13, 2017
With a formal welcome ceremony for the first participants, the Master of Multidisciplinary Research in Experimental Sciences, a joint academic program between the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University (DCEXS, UPF) and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), officially kicks off.

Oriented to equip students with the skills that guarantee incorporation into a research career in an increasingly complex and competitive environment, this one year Master is the first of its kind to launch in Spain. It emphasizes the importance of research (40 of the 60 credits of the master’s degree are based on research work) and its multidisciplinary nature, which is evidenced especially - but not only - in the participation of each student in two research projects in different disciplines (in which they will work, respectively, for 6 months and 10 weeks), and which will be carried out in two different research centers.

In addition to the experimental training through these two research projects, students will receive training in cross-curricular subjects such as statistics and imaging sciences, responsible research, and scientific communication. Students will also participate in seminars and workshops in advanced research techniques, taught by top local and international researchers and specialists. The program includes a Winter School (February 2018) in Microscopy, Nanoscopy and Imaging Sciences, which will be given by specialists from ICN2, IRB Barcelona, CRG, ICFO and IFAE, and will allow students to receive theoretical and practical training in the most advanced techniques of this area, and its application to different disciplines. By the end of the master’s course, which is taught in English, students must prepare a thesis with the results of their research and present an oral defense before the scientific community of BIST and DCEXS.

The Directors of the Master, Roderic Guigó, Professor at the UPF and Group Leader at CRG, and Rob Sewell, Staff Scientist and Coordinator of Academic Programs at ICFO, stressed: "This program aims to give talented students the opportunity to launch their scientific career through intensive, in-depth research training in outstanding laboratories, an innovative and tightly-integrated training program, and the chance to interact with, learn from, and be inspired by leading local and international scientists."

David Comas, Director of the DCEXS at the UPF, said: "This Master is a joint effort by the BIST centres and the UPF. Aimed at working on the most cutting-edge educational innovations and research skills, it opens the doors to a myriad of future scientific challenges."

The faculty of the Master is made up of DCEXS researchers and BIST center researchers. International scientists who will participate in seminars and workshops include Phillip N. Messersmith of the University of California at Berkeley; Mauricio Barahona of Imperial College (London); Serena DeBeer of the Max-Planck-Institut Chemische Energiekonversion (Germany); Luca Giorgetti, of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (Basel, Switzerland); Ilaria Malanchi, Francis Crick Institute (London); and Alain Blondel, Professor at the University of Geneva and Researcher at CERN