Bachelor of Biotechnology (BBiotech)

What will I study?

• Undeclared Field (Molecular Biotechnology) - You do not have to select a field in your first year if you are unsure about your area of interest in biotechnology. The following plan is suitable for students following a general biotechnology plan and several other specific fields. If you later choose a field of study, other than those listed for this plan, you will need to complete any additional first year courses for that field.
• Bioinformatics Field - The field of Bioinformatics is designed to produce graduates with a strong understanding of bioinformatics and computational biology. Students explore aspects of microbiology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and the commercialisation aspects of biotechnology.
• Chemical Biotechnology Field - Chemical Biotechnology is designed to produce graduates with a strong understanding of chemistry alongside aspects of microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and the commercialisation of biotechnology.
• Drug Design & Development Field - Drug design and development equips students with a solid background in pharmacology, chemistry and biochemistry, appropriate for a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Microbial Biotechnology Field - Microbiology is the oldest core discipline of biotechnology. As an area of study, it holds established employment opportunities in diverse bio-industries and a great depth of expertise in this field exists at UQ.
• Nanotechnology Field -Nanotechnology is the ability to manipulate individual atoms, molecules and groups of molecules to produce the smallest human-made objects. It has applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery and biosensors. As a new frontier of science, it is receiving worldwide attention.
• Plant Biotechnology Field - Plant biotechnology is an exciting and rapidly developing field. Gene technologies are used to develop improved plants for more nutritious foods, and as renewable biofactories, allowing the production of sustainable industrial products, biofuels, and inexpensive drugs for medical and veterinary use.
• Process Technology Field - Process Technology involves development and manufacturing of synthetic biological systems. It incorporates aspects of microbiology, biochemistry, chemistry, and the commercialisation of biotechnology.

Program Structure

How do I use the Study Plans? 

What do the different columns mean?

• Compulsory courses – compulsory for the major.
• Elective courses – electives from the program's course list.

Choose a study plan

• Undeclared Field (Molecular Biotechnology)
• Bioinformatics Field
• Chemical Biotechnology Field
• Drug Design & Development Field
• Microbial Biotechnology Field
• Nanotechnology Field
• Plant Biotechnology Field
• Process Technology Field

Course List

• Link to course list

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Undeclared Field (Molecular Biotechnology)

Bioinformatics Field

Chemical Biotechnology Field

Drug Design & Development Field

Microbial Biotechnology Field

Nanotechnology Field

Plant Biotechnology Field

Process Technology Field

Honours

Students that start in semester 1

Students that start in semester 2

Program Coordinator

Professor Ross Barnard
Specific Research Area – Infectious disease diagnostics and antibody engineering for diagnostic and therapeutic applications

What I do

I develop new diagnostic platform technologies for detection of diseases (influenza A, Herpes Simplex and Dengue fever), tests for detection of drug resistant viruses,  and development of antiviral therapeutics based on molecular modelling of interactions between drugs and viruses. I also work on the development of humanised antibodies for infectious disease diagnosis, prevention of graft rejection or  treatment of cancer. This work uses techniques such as phage display and development of antibody libraries from sharks.
 
What I teach

I coordinate the biotechnology teaching program (undergraduate and postgraduate programs). I teach “introduction to biotechnology” , “emerging technologies 2”, “regulatory issues in biotechnology”  and “professional practice in biotechnology”.

Careers

Employment in biotechnology crosses several industrial and service sectors including health, agricultural, diagnostic, environmental, forestry, legal and commercial. The Bachelor of Biotechnology leads to career paths in: pharmaceutical companies (drug design and development or pharmaceutical production) chemical companies (nanotechnology and biosensor applications, development of drug leads), agriculture (plant-breeding and engineering) diagnostics companies (diagnostic test design, development and production) legal and consulting companies (business plan analyst) venture capital companies government agencies (AusIndustry, DPI, BSES, the CSIRO), and research with research institutes, universities or in industry.