School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester
Biology at University of Manchester and its precursor institutions has gone through a number of reorganizations (see History below), the latest of which was the change from a Faculty of Life Sciences to the current School.
In Biological Sciences 20% of outputs were rated 4* (World Class) and 40% 3* (Internationally Excellent), for 107 category A staff.
Quality assessment by Grade Point Average (GPA) ranks the faculty 3rd and 2nd in the UK for these units respectively [2] Zoology was taught at Manchester[3] since the foundation of Owens College in 1851 when William Crawford Williamson was appointed professor of natural history with responsibilities to teach botany, physiology, geology and zoology.
Williamson embodied a traditional view of natural history, with its strong bias to taxonomic classification.
The appointment of Arthur Milnes Marshall (1852–1893) as professor of zoology at Owens in 1879 led to the adoption of this 'new biology' approach at Manchester.
Marshall modernised the zoology curriculum, introduced courses in elementary biology and embryology, and lobbied for the establishment of dedicated research laboratories.
Herbert Graham Cannon (1897–1963), previously professor of zoology at Sheffield, was elected to the Beyer chair in his place.
[5] The current holder of the Beyer Chair is Professor Andrew Loudon, who studies biological clocks in animals.
This teaching burden was reduced with the establishment of chairs in geology (1872) and zoology (1879), and with the creation of the Medical School in 1872 eventually allowing Williamson to concentrate on botany.
This was also reflected in a marked increase in funding from research councils and charities and in the higher profile life sciences gained within the university.
[11] The prominence of molecular biology approaches and industrial relevance at UMIST acted to some extent as a paradigm for the reorganisation of biological sciences which took place in the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s at the Victoria University of Manchester; however, medical rather than industrial relevance was to take a more prominent role at the latter institution.
On 25 June 2015 Manchester University announced the results of a review of the position of life sciences as a separate faculty.
The School of Biological Sciences had its own long-running podcast (and later video broadcast), where scientists within the faculty are interviewed about their research, as well as recently published high-impact papers, books and events they are involved with.
Past guests include established researchers such as professor Daniel Davis, author of The Compatibility Gene', Dr David Kirby, author of Lab coats in Hollywood, Dr. Sheena Cruickshank, winner of the Society of Biology Science Communication award (2013) and nobel prize winner Sir John Sulston.
The podcast also features interviews with budding new scientists within the school, including high-achieving undergraduates and PhD students, such as the Manchester iGEM team.
