Biological Sciences
The School of Biological Sciences was formed in 1962 by the amalgamation of the Departments of Zoology (founded 1890) and Botany (founded 1913). It has evolved and grown with the discipline of biology and now has a strong representation in the fields of plant and animal physiology, cell biology, evolution, ecology, genetics, molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics, as well as in the classical aspects of the diversity of plants, animals and fungi. The School’s graduate programs are at the forefront of research, attracting high levels of competitive funding.
University of Sydney Advantage
Three staff have recently been appointed to prestigious ARC Federation Fellowships in recognition of their influential research in insect behaviour and physiology (Professor Steve Simpson), evolutionary biology and herpetology (Professor Rick Shine) and in viruses and gene-silencing in plants (Professor Peter Waterhouse). Our graduate students regularly publish papers during and immediately after their studies at the University of Sydney, and recently several have published in Nature and Science. The School also has an internationally renowned group of postdoctoral fellows.
Facilities
The School of Biological Sciences has Class PC2 laboratories for work with recombinant organisms; glasshouses and growth cabinets for plant biology, insect-rearing facilities, an animal house and extensive fresh water and marine aquarium facilities for animal and algal biology. The School is well equipped with excellent centralised facilities for molecular biology and light microscopy.
For field studies the School provides access to a number of terrestrial and marine sites for which there is excellent baseline information available. These include the Crommelin Biological Field Station, 60km north of Sydney, which provides access to wet and dry sclerophyll forests, mangroves, sandy beaches and intertidal rock platforms, sites In Ku-ringgai and Royal National Parks just north and south of Sydney, and sites in the Simpson Desert. Students have access to many other University facilities including the One Tree Island Field Station on the Great Barrier Reef, the University Animal House, the DNA Sequencing Service, Sydney University Biological Informatics and Technology Centre (SUBIT), the Australian National Genomics Information Service and the Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis. The Institute of Wildlife Research with the Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities (EICC) are part of the School. Students also have access to the Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences (SIMS), a collaborative marine research station on Sydney Harbour. The School has established collaborations with many outside institutions, including the Australian Museum, the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, the various divisions of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens, Taronga Zoo and the Sydney Aquarium.
Areas of Research
- metabolism and thermo-regulation of reptiles
- physiology of reptile and bird eggs
- evolution of viviparity
- environmental physiology of insects and other invertebrates
- ecophysiology of marsupials, rodents, birds and plants
- physiology and biochemistry of corals and sponges
- symbioses involving corals, sponges, algae, terrestrial plants and fungi
- plant development
- cellular transport systems in plants
- taxonomy, evolution and biogeography
- systematics, phylogeny, biogeography and reproductive biology of Australian flowering plants
- molecular and genetic applications in taxonomy and evolution
- origins and diversification of eukaryotes
- reproductive biology, food habits and phylogeny of reptiles
- terrestrial ecology
- evolutionary ecology of reptiles
- behavioural ecology of vertebrates
- behavioural ecology of marine invertebrates foraging ecology of marsupial and other mammalian herbivores
- ecology of marsupials and other mammals
- arid zone ecology
- ecology of squamate reptiles
- plant/animal interactions
- plant population dynamics
- evolution of life history in plants
- plant reproductive biology and ecology
- tropical rainforest and temperate forest biology
- population dynamics of invertebrates
- biological control of pests
- vegetation rehabilitation
- fungal infection of plants
- behavioural ecology of social insects
- ecology of insect/plant interactions
- nutritional and behavioural ecology of herbivorous insects
- morphological adaptations to herbivory
- molecular approaches to solving ecological problems
- cellular and developmental biology
- plant cytoskeleton
- intercellular communication in plants
- plant morphogenesis and development
- molecular biology of root development
- molecular biology of multidrug transport proteins in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- ultrastructure of oomycetes
- molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone production
- endocrinology of the placenta
- physiology of mutualistic intracellular symbioses
- marine biology
- benthic - pelagic coupling productivity of algal-invertebrate associations
- ecology of marine invertebrates
- marine conservation
- human impacts in the marine environments
- growth of algae and algal pigments
- phylogeny of algae
- marine ecology
- marine science
- molecular and general genetics
- population and behavioural genetics of social insects
- molecular genetics of microbial/plant interactions
- genetic engineering of plants for resistance to pathogens
- molecular biology of multidrug and antibiotic resistance in prokaryotes
- evolution of plasmids and translocatable elements
- molecular biology of conjugative DNA transfer in prokaryotes
- molecular and population genetics of drosophila and Queensland fruit fly
- molecular biology of circadian rhythms
- evolution of photosynthesis and organellar endosymbiosis
- bioinformatics and genomics
- phylogenetics, method development and high-performance computing
- exploration of molecular evolutionary processes and their effect on phylogenetics inference and phenotypic traits
- tertiary biological education
- how students learn, role of multimedia in teaching
- facilitation of learning use of distance education materials on campus
Academic Programs offered
- Honours
- Graduate Diploma in Science (GradDipSc)
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- For general information about Academic Programs please refer to Research Programs.
Is mid-year entry available?
Yes.