NST Part III Systems Biology

Part III Systems Biology

Part III Systems Biology is a fourth year undergraduate course open to students who have completed Part II courses in Biological, Physical, Mathematics or Computer Sciences. 

Systems Biology is an integrated approach to the study of biology through experiment and the use of computer models with both predictive and explanatory power. It is interdisciplinary, requiring the participation of biological, physical, mathematical, engineering and computational sciences. Follow this link to learn more Course Structure | Cambridge Systems Biology Centre.

The Part III Systems Biology Course take approx. 24 students per year. The students who take this course will have completed Part II courses in a variety subjects within the Natural Sciences and Mathematical Triposes.

Registration and entry

If you are interested in taking Part III Systems Biology, please email the course administrator at sysbiol@gen.cam.ac.uk for access to the application form, or find the link via the Course Structure webpage above. Deadline for submitting the application form is the last day of full Lent Term. Formal acceptances, subject to performance in the Part II Final Examinations, will be sent out as soon as the various Part II course results are known. For the entry requirements and also the process for considering special cases see https://www.natsci.tripos.cam.ac.uk/students/fourth

Michaelmas Term

Introductory module (INT): the first module of the course starts with an introduction that
deals with the concepts, history, and future aspirations of systems biology. You will have lectures that deal with the nature of modern biological science in relation to the concepts, approaches, methods, and tools of Systems Biology. Practical classes in the Python and R languages that underpin the course are included together with some data handling and visualisation.

Data Acquisition and Handling (DAH): molecular systems biology relies on the ability to obtain a ‘global’ view of a cell by the simultaneous identification and quantification of thousands of different molecules (such as proteins, nucleic acids and metabolites). This module will present the techniques used to acquire data in the various ‘omics’ approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics), as well as in high-throughput genetics. Because of their size and experimental limitations, the handling of these datasets presents unique challenges. Therefore, the module will emphasise the practical aspects of dealing with these types of data. Large-scale approaches are generally applied to cell populations, and often lack spatial and temporal resolution. The module will introduce how they are complemented by in vivo analysis of single cells using advanced microscopy, which can provide information on cell-to-cell variation and spatial control.

Modelling and Analysis of networks (MAN): this module focuses on mathematical and statistical methods used to evaluate and analyse large-scale data sets and use them for the reconstruction of biological networks. Methods for the analysis of metabolic, gene- regulatory, and large-scale networks will be introduced.

Lent Term

The MAN module continues.

Modelling in Biology (MIB): the final module aims to introduce students to modelling and computational simulation approaches. The design, simulation, and analysis of biological models using some of the main computational techniques in executable biology are introduced. Finally, all the strands of the course are integrated in an assessed group mini-project in which students could, for instance, design a biological system and study its behaviour through modelling, or build an executable model of a particular biological process and analyse its behaviour.

Seminars:Each term there will be 3 or 4 research seminars, delivered by experts in the field. The purpose of these is to put some of the concepts and approaches you learn about in the context of a research question. Seminar speakers are not asked to provide examination questions, but lecturers on the course will expect you to have attended the seminars and may hope to find material from them in exam answers. Please take the opportunity to ask questions - all the seminar speakers are very approachable!

Research Project: The project will run for 12 weeks in Michaelmas and Lent Terms, starting in week 4 of Michaelmas Term. It may consist of any (agreed) combination of practical, theoretical or analytical work and will have support from classes or seminars from active researchers. Each project will have a research group leader as overall (senior) supervisor and a day-to-day supervisor (post-doctoral or senior graduate student). Joint projects will be encouraged where pairs of students, one with a biological and one with a mathematical/physical/computational background, collaborate to address a systems problem.  Students will present the results of their project to the group and submit individual project reports.

Assessment
Four written papers:

Paper 1 (two hours): integrative essays on biological and physical sciences subjects (10%)
Paper 2 (three hours): questions on DAH module (15%)
Paper 3 (three hours): practical exam on MAN module (15%)
Paper 4 (three and a quarter hours): data interpretation and grant proposal (15%)

Team-based design project for MIB module (15%)
Research project (30%)

Contact us

If there are any issues relating to the Part III please contact the Part III Administrator via sysbiol-admin@cam.ac.uk

Page updated 31/07/2025