About Molecular & Cell Biology

Graduate with extensive practical knowledge. Benefiting from strong industry partnerships, JCU students work with world–class researchers and health professionals on significant local and global challenges.

Contribute to JCU’s excellence in applied research. Work side by side world-leading researchers in the state-of-the-art facility at JCU's Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine.

Gain a thorough grounding in health and healthcare in Australia, with an emphasis on biomedicine in the tropics. Use your degree as a pathway to other health professions or higher research.

Prepare to work across many careers in health sciences. Knowledgeable in generalist biomedicine, JCU students are flexible and adaptable, working worldwide to enact positive change.

Overview

Molecular & Cell Biology is a research-intensive department within the College of Public Health, Medical & Veterinary Sciences.

Academic staff of the Department teach and research the molecular bases of health and disease in a range of experimental model systems and in real-world applications, such as evolutionary biology, molecular ecology and clinical research. Many of the laboratories in the Department have a special interest in human disease, including autoimmunity, allergy, cancer and immunodiagnostics. Others apply biotechnological approaches to developing new diagnostic assays and recombinant biomolecular products for commercialisation.

For students, the Department offers a world-class education in Biochemistry, Genetics (including Evolutionary Genetics), Genomics, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology with defined course structures within the B.Med. Sc. and B.Sc. and B.Sc. (Advanced) programs. The fourth undergraduate (Honours) year provides a unique opportunity to work on an independent program of research within one of the laboratories in the Department, providing not only on-job training and experience, but also formalised assessments of direct relevance to future employment opportunities.

Graduates of the Department currently work in major institutions throughout Australia and the world, including Cambridge University, Harvard, the Translational Research Institute at UQ and the University of Sydney.