Master of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

You become highly competent in the field of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, with excellent perspectives for an independent career in an academic or industrial research environment.

Applications of biology have become more relevant and widely applied in the last decades in the development of technologies and tools for the Knowledge Society, in the biomedical production process control, as well as in searching for optimal solutions in various fields of molecular biosciences. The analysis of successful career examples shows that the best specialists in higher education, science, the biotechnological industry, or other spheres have master’s degrees in biology, which allows them to apply knowledge and methods for the analysis of the underlying processes in their employment domain. The programme also seeks to confer a deep interest in biology and genetics, apply it in various circumstances, and maintain professional competencies during lifelong learning. Constantly changing research environment, the emerging requirements of professional development, the use of the latest technologies, and communication opportunities force researchers to know the physical structure of the living world and understand biological phenomena from the perspective of laws of physics and chemistry.

Why Molecular Biology and Biotechnology programme?

• Molecular biology and biotechnology encompass the study of life and will suit anyone with an interest in living organisms.
• Specialized study subjects, allowing for in-depth study of the science behind all living things.
• You will have the opportunity to study a broad range of molecular biology and biotechnology at a theoretical and practical level.
• You will have courses with many lab hours, which will allow you to gain hands-on skills.
• You will be able to use creatively bio-information technologies for analysis, digital description, and simulation of biological objects, to use biological databases, and to systematize the collected information.

Feedback of lecturer

Molecular biology and biotechnology open for students doors to most recent inventions of modern bioscience.

Prof. Algimantas Paulauskas, Head of the programme

Professors

All teachers were/are research project promoters or managers.

• Dr. S. Šatkauskas, currently manages high-level international research projects funded under the 2014-2020 Measures of the EU Investment Operational Program No. 01.2.2-LMT-K-718 and 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 activities, in which students of the analysed programs also participate.
• Dr. G. Saulis is an international 2021 - 2024. Leader of the partnership part of the project EuroNanoMed III " Molecular harvesting with electroporation, microfluidics and nanoparticles for diagnostics and therapy of heterogeneous solid tumors (EURONANOMED2020-124) ".
• Dr. G. Saulis and Dr. P. Ruzgys is currently leading the projects of research groups on “Systems Biology Methods for Modelling and Analysing Cell Electroporation and Related Processes (S-MIP-20-29)” and “Development of High-Frequency Dielectrophoresis and Electrosensitization-Based Nanoelectroporation Technologies for Targeted Drug and Gene Transfer, respectively. (S-MIP-19-13)”.

Graduates of the programme are able to:

• Work with living cells, organisms, and populations. To evaluate processes taking place inside of the cell, work with cell cultures under laboratory conditions, apply obtained results for modeling of biological systems, to evaluate intercellular interconnections, and relations between single individuals and populations.
• Comprehend the evolution of biological objects, lows in heredity and variability, features and molecular principles of congenital diseases, and know how to apply them for investigation of biological diversity, the structure of living organisms, functioning, and evolution.
• According to collected data and molecular analysis to evaluate the population’s structures, environmental impact on populations, and interrelations between populations and individual species.
• Apply modern investigation methods, to work according to principles of good laboratory practice, and rules of bioethics, to collect, process, preserve, and prepare research material under laboratory and field conditions.
• Apply acquired knowledge to solve emerging problems, recognize, and analyze biological problems, plan strategies to solve these problems, plan and carry out various measurements, process and interpret biological data, to classify and present these data.
• Solve qualitative and quantitative problems by using acquired mathematical and computational skills and special computer software, DNA gene base.
• Use creatively bio-information technologies for analysis, digital description, and simulation of biological objects, to use biological databases, and to systematize the collected information.
• Analyse molecular diversity, structure, and composition, to characterize biological systems, their functioning, and interaction: genomics, proteomics, metabolomics.
• Understand principles of immune and other systems, their structures, and integration with other vital systems of biological objects.

The graduate of the Molecular biology and biotechnology program has a good knowledge of modern molecular biotechnology methods and is able not only to model molecular processes but also to design biotechnological systems and plants. Also, able to plan and conduct modeling and experimental research, analyze or solve a particular biotechnological problem, find, interpret, and systematize the scientific literature, critically analyze and evaluate data from different sources and practical experiments and draw conclusions, engage in professional biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and the food industry, as well as biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and environmental research and study institutions. After graduation, graduates are able to develop new products and technologies, work in highly responsible work in research and study institutions and industries related to biotechnology, biomedicine, and the food industry, or continue their doctoral studies.

The programme provides graduates with several general areas:

• Companies related to molecular biology, biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and the food industry.
• Regulatory and monitoring agencies in the different departments of the national government.
• R&D (research and development) and quality control departments of companies operating in the sectors of medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, cosmetics, agriculture, food, and biotechnology as well as hospitals, private laboratories, and in vitro fertilization (test tube baby) centers.
• Research and study organizations dealing with various activities related to molecular biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, biopharmaceutics, and environment preservation.
• International companies deal with the design and production of equipment used in the field of molecular biology and genetics or medicine.
• Study opportunities at Ph.D. Degree level related to biotechnological and biomedical sciences.