MRes Biomedical Research (Epidemiology, Evolution and Control of Infectious Diseases)
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Our one-year full-time course provides broad training to prepare you for a career in biomedical research.
Overview
This programme provides an excellent background in biomedical research, and integrates chemical, biological and physiological aspects in a unified approach.
You will acquire an understanding of modern molecular and cell science in world class biomedical research laboratories through both theory and practical exposure. You will also demonstrate practical dexterity in both commonly employed and more advanced practical techniques.
Within this programme, you can choose to study a general stream or one of a number of specialist streams. All of our biomedical research streams have the same course structure and each stream has its own tailored set of projects alongside a core programme of lectures, seminars and practical classes.
You should consider which stream is right for you according to your career aims and background. If an offer of admission is made, it will correspond to a specific stream. Switching streams is not possible once you have commenced your studies.
On 25 June 2021, we held an online meeting with applicants in which we outlined the course and our approach to delivery in the coming academic year and answered questions. You can view a recording of the session on YouTube.
Epidemiology, Evolution and Control of Infectious Diseases stream
Infectious diseases remain a major contributor to the global burden of disease, with HIV, malaria, measles, diarrhoeal disease and respiratory infections responsible for over 50% of premature deaths worldwide. However, the availability of resources for interventions is limited in comparison with the scale of the challenges faced.
Over the last decade, there has been increasing recognition of the value of epidemiological analysis and mathematical modelling in aiding the design and interpretation of clinical trials from a population perspective and, downstream, to guide implementation, monitoring and evaluation of intervention effectiveness.
This stream provides research-based training in infectious disease epidemiology, mathematical modelling and statistics, genetics and evolution, and computational methods. The focus of the course is interdisciplinary, with a strong applied public health element.
Is this stream for you?
The Epidemiology stream is aimed at students with a background in biology or biomedical science who are interested in gaining skills in quantitative methods applied to infectious disease epidemiology, as well as those with a background in mathematical sciences, physics or computing who are interested in applying their technical skills to infectious disease epidemiology.
This stream additionally accepts applications via the 4 Year PhD Programme in Epidemiology and Evolution and Control of Infectious Diseases (1+3 MRes and PhD).
Study programme
Over 12 months, you will complete two five-month research projects (4.5 days per week) and a core programme (0.5 days per week) including grant writing, technical workshops, journal clubs and transferable skills.
The research projects incorporate cutting-edge developments in the field. You will experience some of the most technologically advanced approaches currently being applied to biomedical research.
MRes Biomedical Research at Imperial College London
Other streams
You have the option of choosing our general biomedical research stream, or one of eight specialisms in the following areas:
- General Biomedical Research
- Anaesthetics, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Infection
- Data Science
- Epidemiology, Evolution and Control of Infectious Diseases (this stream)
- Microbiome in Health and Disease
- Molecular Basis of Human Disease
- Respiratory and Cardiovascular Science
Careers
Our MRes in Biomedical Research is designed for students looking to pursue a career in biomedical research, whether in academia, industry or government. The overwhelming majority of graduates, who have wanted to continue on to PhD study, have done so.
The course will equip you with the key skills needed to plan, conduct, publish and obtain funding for successful research.
The programme offers training in a vast array of laboratories across the Faculty of Medicine (approximately 700 world leading research groups) and an opportunity to learn from leaders in the field.
*Please note, your location will depend on where your projects are based.
Structure
This page reflects the latest version of the curriculum for this year of entry. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about changes we have made.
Page last reviewed on 25 October 2021.
Structure
Core modules
You take all of the modules below.
- Grant Writing Exercise
- Project 1
- Project 2
Example projects
You have a wide range of research projects available to you, and complete two projects during your studies. The projects available to you are determined by your chosen stream. You can also choose projects from other streams, though will only have priority within your own stream.
Past projects from students of this stream have been:
- Using mathematical modelling to determine the potential population-level benefits of developing a HSV-2 vaccine against HSV-2 infection and/or disease in Brazil
- Unifying epidemiological, ecological and genomic data to identify drivers of arbovirus outbreaks
- Influence of vaccination and sociodemographic factors on the regional variation of COVID-19 transmission in the UK
- Quantifying transmissibility in the early stages of an emerging epidemic: exploring methodological differences and corrections
- Graph-based methods for understanding bacterial pathogen evolution in response to vaccine and antibiotic selection
- Risk factors for HIV-related stigma in Zimbabwean communities: an analysis of data from the Manicaland Study
- A platform for reproducing and comparing drug resistance predictions in bacteria
- Estimating dengue transmission intensity from case notification data in Colombia
- Population genomics of multidrug resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Infant infection and the developing immune system
Read more about Biomedical Research projects on the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction website.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching methods
- Computer tutorials
- Journal Clubs
- Laboratory/computational experience
- Research supervision
- Technical workshops
- Tutorials and Seminars
Assessment methods
- Laboratory/computer based research
- Oral presentation
- Poster presentation
- Research reports
- Viva voce
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
If you have any questions about admissions, please see our frequently asked questions specifically for Biomedical Research degrees.
Admissions
Minimum academic requirement
Our minimum requirement is a 2.1 degree in an appropriate subject.
International qualifications
We also accept a wide variety of international qualifications.
The academic requirement above is for applicants who hold or who are working towards a UK qualification.
For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed are the minimum for entry to the College, and not specifically this Department.
If you have any questions about admissions and the standard required for the qualification you hold or are currently studying then please contact the relevant admissions team.
English language requirement (all applicants)
All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.
For admission to this course, you must achieve the standard College requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for postgraduate applicants.
How to apply
Making an application
Apply online
All applicants must apply online.
On the application form, you will need to select the Postgraduate Taught application category, and then Biomedical Research (MRes 1YFT) in the Academic Programme drop-down. You will then be able to select the stream you wish to be considered for.
Visit our Admissions website for details on the application process.
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can usually choose up to two courses.
Application fee
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course:
- £80 for taught Master's applications (excluding MBAs)
- £135 for MBA applications
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas or research courses, such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
ATAS certificate
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Further questions?
Find answers to your questions about admissions. Answers cover COVID-19, English language requirements, visas and more.
Tuition fees and funding
The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.
Find out more about fees and funding opportunities.
Tuition fees
Home rate of tuition
2022 entry
£17,600
Fees are charged by year of entry to the College and not year of study.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Home fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note, we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens' Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Overseas rate of tuition
2022 entry
£37,800
Fees are charged by year of entry to the College and not year of study.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Overseas fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note, we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens' Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Postgraduate Master's loan
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2022-23 entry, the maximum amount is £11,836. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies.
See what opportunities you may be eligible for:
Accommodation and living costs
Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.
You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.
A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.
Further information
Got a question?
Read more about the School and our research in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology.
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