Research
Our research is built on the simple premise that a deep, curiosity-driven understanding of biological mechanisms provides a reliable route to biomedical and biotechnological innovations that benefit society.
The areas of research we cover are outlined in our research disciplines. Our research themes apply this disciplinary expertise to specific challenges in the field of health and life sciences.
Research disciplines
We cover a range of disciplines including biochemistry, microbiology, virology, cell biology, immunology, and developmental and tissue biology. Across these areas we explore life at the molecular, cellular, tissue and whole organism level to better understand natural and engineered biological mechanisms.
Research themes
Our research priorities are shaped by areas of strength and scale that sustain internationally competitive science and are brought together through a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach.
The emphasis is on molecular and cellular mechanism, while ensuring that insight is carried through into practical outcomes via interactions with external partners.
In this way, the school aims to couple fundamental discovery with tangible benefit, maintaining scientific depth while delivering clear relevance to major challenges in human and animal health, biomanufacturing and environmental sustainability.
- Cancer biologyCancer biology in Bristol is rooted in a mechanistic approach to understanding how normal cellular processes become deregulated in disease.
- Engineering biologyEngineering biology represents a shift towards a more design‑led, predictive approach to biology, in which living systems can be reprogrammed or constructed for defined purposes.
- Genome biologyGenome biology seeks to understand how genetic information is organised and utilised within the cell, and how this underpins both normal physiology and disease.
- Infectious diseases and anti-microbial resistanceResearch in infectious diseases is driven by the need to understand, at a fundamental level, how pathogens emerge and evolve, and how they interact with and transmit between hosts.
- Modulation and translation of immunityThe immune system presents both a fundamental biological problem and a powerful therapeutic opportunity.
- Organelle biology and protein homeostasisOrganelle biology and protein homeostasis reflects a long-standing strength in understanding the inner workings of the cell at a molecular level.