Background

Scientific progress in modern biological studies resulted in innovations in medicine, agriculture, genetic engineering, and other fields of human activity in the modern world. To embody these innovations, a well trained and qualified workforce is required. The lack of qualified scientists able to apply theoretical research results to the issues of everyday human life dictates an urgent need for educational establishments founded for the purpose of these specialists targeted training. This task seems definitely important for our country, as well as for any country in the world.

The Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University was founded in 2002 with the express purpose of training of highly qualified personnel for the universities, research institutes, medical companies and facilities, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

The faculty graduates are deeply and fully trained in modern fundamental biology and are trained to intentionally change biological objects according to assigned tasks.

Russian Ministry of Education validated the new specialty called ?Bioengineering and Bioinformatics? in order to stimulate effective, functional, and adequate training of the specialists in these modern fields of biology

The specialty is characterized by:

• Mastering general bioengineerins disciplines, such as genetic engineering, bioengineering of plants, animals, and microorganisms, cell cloning and transplantation, protein engineering, enzyme engineering;
• Thorough mathematical studies (including deep studies in informatics), for both theoretical and applied purposes

The FBB education is unique for:

• Cross-disciplinary approach to education;
• Wide collaboration (in teaching our students) with professors of MSU Faculty of Chemistry, Biological Faculty, Faculty of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics, and professors and researchers from Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology (MSU). FBB students study theoretical and applied biology and mathematics, genetic engineering, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and mathematical methods in applied biology under the supervision of these professors and researchers;
• FBB accepted the system of tutorship (personally designed advising on individual research projects of FBB students).  Each of FBB students is to successfully complete and defend three yearly research projects, in bioinformatics, biochemistry, and bioengineering. The final graduate thesis is defended in the 5^th year of studies. The majority of our students defend their yearly projects and theses taking part in international conferences (in poster or presentation sessions) in English.
• FBB uses rating system to assess the progress of its students;
• The Faculty provides a set of arts disciplines (?Russian Language?, ?Translation and Interpreting?, ?Rhetoric?, ?Philosophy?, ?Psychology and Pedagogics?, ?English for Professional Purposes?) designed particularly for FBB students). We also give our students a possibility to deepen their knowledge of English taking additional English courses during the 4^th and 5^th years of their studies, to take a course of preparation for international English exams, and to learn French and German additionally;
•  FBB students take obligatory field practical courses in the end of the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd years, at Biological Station in Zvenigorod, Pertzov Belomorsky Biological Station in Karelia (Kandalaksha), and in Leiden University (Netherlands) correspondingly

The Faculty prioritizes use of novel information technologies and modern computer equipment in both studying and research activities of its students and teachers.

Plenty of FBB lectures and seminars are multimedia supported. The Faculty supports the Internet portal in bioinformatics. Practical courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cytogenetics are organized at the Faculty and very well equipped.

FBB graduates are very well employed and constantly demanded in novel and modern industries and research institutes.

The Faculty provides complex and all-round education together with multiple experience in applied studies and research, which makes our specialists highly adaptable to the work in diverse fields of science, industry, and technology. The majority of the Faculty graduates decided to take post-graduate courses at FBB, Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology (MSU), Biological Faculty (MSU), Instutute of Genetics (Russian Academy of Sciences), Center of Bioengineering (Russian Academy of Sciences), and Research Institute of Biomedical Chemistry n.a. V.N. Orechovich (Russian Academy of Medical Sciences).

Due to their excellent training in both professional and colloquial English our graduates obtained post-graduate and postdoc positions in USA (University of Florida), Germany (Max Planck Institute), Netherlands (Leiden University, Medical Centre) and in other foreign countries.

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