Biochemistry

An admission for international applicants to doctoral study at Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.

The goal of studies is to prepare highly-qualified specialists for further working in the field of biochemistry. The student will get necessary theoretical background and skills to realize his/her own research project in a research group under the guidance of a supervisor. Modern instrumentation and experienced personnel at the Department of Biochemistry create unique opportunities for student to be involved in numerous research activities concerning metabolic and regulatory processes in bacteria, fungi and higher plants as well as various biochemical aspects of human pathogenesis. The research covers a wide spectrum of biological levels from whole organisms to tissues, cells and individual proteins. The palette of possibilities is broadened through long-term cooperation with several research institutions at home and abroad. Biochemistry is marked by its open and interdisciplinary character, the classical biochemical approaches being frequently combined with methodology from other disciplines such as microbiology, molecular biology, informatics, and biophysics. This increases graduates’ adaptability and their ability to apply acquired skills in working life.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• autonomously plan and conduct research projects with appropriate methodology and research techniques
• prepare and publish an original scientific article
• present and defend the results of his/her research at an international scientific forum
• use broader theoretical and practical knowledge of biochemistry
• critically evaluate and appropriately employ the newest thematic and methodological development in the field
• understand and communicate in professional English
• gain experience in international cooperation
• transfer the knowledge and skills to other persons by their teaching
• demonstrate transferable skills such as team building, leadership and communication, project management

Graduates a doctoral degree program may continue their academic career at universities and research institutions both in the Czech Republic and abroad. They will be qualified for team member and leadership positions in scientific research and development at private firms and biochemical laboratories at a broad range of institutions specializing in human or veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and biotechnology. The professional specialization of the graduates is also compatible with further work in the field of environmental protection and with environmental movements and initiatives.

The thesis is a compulsory part of the education for doctoral studies the purpose of which is to demonstrate the students' ability to make an original contribution to the empirical or theoretical research. It can be written in Czech, Slovak or English language.

The thesis must contain new research findings which the student has uncovered independently or in cooperation with others and which have been published or accepted for publication in internationally recognised scientific journal(s) with peer review. The minimum requirement is one research paper published in a journal from the first or second quartile (Q1 or Q2) of impact factor according to ISI Web of Knowledge. A possible but not preferred alternative are two thematically related papers published in less ranked journals (Q3 or Q4). However, this option requires prior consultation and approval by the doctoral board.

The PhD student must be the first author of at least one publication. The publication with joint first authorship counts for one divided by the number of first authors (i.e., in case of two first authors it counts for 1/2 publication and so on). This means that one publication with co-first author is not enough to meet the first authorship requirement.

The thesis can either be written as a monograph or as a compilation thesis including scientific articles. A monograph is typically 80-100 pages long (without counting the list of references) with standard formatting (Times New Roman size 12 point or equivalent, 1.5 line spacing) and consists of the parts Title page, Acknowledgement (optional), Abstract, Introduction, Literature review, Aims, Material and Methods , Results, Discussion, Conclusion and References, followed by a list of the student's papers and conference presentations. It does not contain the copies of the papers which are delivered separately by the student. A compilation thesis should, apart from separate papers attached as appendices, include a text of about 30-50 pages divided into before mentioned sections. The Material and Methods section can be restricted to a short list of techniques used. In the Results section all the details of publications need not be repeated, but instead it is to emphasize the main findings of the student. The discussion should bring out the general importance of new findings and put them in context of current knowledge in the field. If the attached publications are the work of several authors, the student’s independent role in these must be proven by including a statement in which a student's contribution to each publication is defined and confirmed by the supervisor.