Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge

The Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge is a world-leading biochemical research and education facility, building on the University’s tradition of scientific enquiry to enable and support outstanding science. As part of the School of the Biological Sciences our excellent undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes develop the next generation of scientists, whilst over 50 research groups led by investigators of international standing collaborate with colleagues around the world to answer fundamental questions on how cells and their constituent molecules work in life and relate to disease. These fundamental questions and the focus of our scientific investigation can broadly be broken down into nine research themes: Chemical Biology & Drug Design, Disease Biology, DNA & Chromatin Biology, Molecular Microbiology, Plant Biochemistry & Bioenergy, RNA Biology, Signalling & Trafficking, Stem Cell Biology, and Systems Biology. Reflecting the cutting-edge, interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of their work, our Principal Investigators additionally contribute towards the University of Cambridge’s Strategic Research Initiatives; including The Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences, Cardiovascular Disease, Global Challenges, Immunology, and Metabolism. To support our scientific research and education programmes, our Department houses state-of-the-art core facilities, including cryo-electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, crystallography, mass spectrometry, protein chemistry, metabolomics, and advanced services for protein and nucleic acid sequencing. In partnership with the Department of Genetics we additionally established the Cambridge Systems Biology Centre. As we aim to be collaborative and sustainable, we endeavour to make all our facilities and expertise available to other departments within the University and to external commercial clients.