UCL Faculty of Life Sciences

[3] The roots of UCL’s Faculty of Life Sciences can be traced back to 1826, when the Chairs of Botany and Comparative Anatomy were established; with the Departments of Zoology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Botany and Microbiology all stemming from the Chair of Botany.

Since the Faculty’s establishment it has contributed to many major breakthroughs in history including Nobel Prize winner, James Black, work on β-blockers and histamine H2 receptor antagonists.

Most recently, the School of Pharmacy, established in 1842, merged with UCL in 2012, becoming one of two divisions within the Faculty of Life Sciences.

[4] The Faculty currently comprises the following departments, divisions and institutes:[5] In the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Faculty, UCL is ranked 9th in the world (and 2nd in London) for Life Sciences and Medicine.

[8] UCL came top for research power in the main panels of ‘medicine, health and life sciences’ and ‘social sciences’ according to the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF).