University of Plymouth

The marine science and technology activities within the University of Plymouth are distributed between a number of departments split between the faculty of Science and the faculty of Technology.  The core competencies are summarised below by faculty and department.

Life Sciences Research

Peninsula Medical School The most significant development since the 2001 RAE has been the establishment of the Peninsula Medical School.  The School is founded on a unique partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and the NHS within Devon and Cornwall.  The School commenced delivery of its undergraduate Programme in autumn 2002.

The research Strategy of the Peninsula Medical School is built upon three multidisciplinary research institutes, which reflect the significant biomedical and social science strengths of the two universities and the research and development providers of the NHS.  These are the Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, the Institute of Health and Social Care Research and the Institute of Clinical Education.  The Research Institutes work very closely with the two universities and the NHS, seeking to develop region wide collaboration and integration between disciplines. 

Research Groups include: (ordered alphabetically)

• Anaesthesia
• Cannabinoids in Multiple Sclerosis
• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Complementary medicine
• Diabetes Clinical Trials (Plymouth
• Endocrine Pharmacology
• Hepatology research
• Immunology
• Mental health
• Molecular genetics
• Molecular medicine research
• Neurological rehabilitation
• Neurology/neuroscience
• PenTAG (Peninsula Technology Assessment Group)

The Fish Nutrition and Aquaculture Research Unit integrates with the strong tradition of fish biology teaching and research within the School of Biological Sciences.  It is the only university in the UK specialising in this area. 

Marine Biology and Ecology Research Group represents a team of researchers, unique in the UK, who utilize an exiting cross-system approach to ecological research.  The group consists of closely collaborating biologists and ecologists from marine, freshwater and terrestrial backgrounds, with research interests ranging from the level of whole ecosystems down to molecules and genes.  This diversity enables a sharing of experience in order to address novel, topical and exciting broad-scale questions relevant to all biomes.

Molecular Sciences Research is a growing area of research, which includes studies on the detection of pathogenic micro-organisms in the environment and an understanding of virulence mechanisms.  Current projects include the development of new indicator strategies for detection of pathogens in coastal waters, and the evolution of molecular methods for the detection and characterisation of pathogens and the genes determining virulence and antimicrobial resistance in clinical and environmental isolates. 

Faculty of Science is strong in a range of biological subject disciplines directed at exploring the nature and fundamental cellular processes and their influence on health status of humans and other vertebrate animals. Microbiologists, virologists, immunologists, biochemists and geneticists work with other researchers in the Peninsula Medical School, Marine Biology and Ecology Research Group, the Fish and Health & Aquaculture Group, the Ecotoxicology Research Group and the Neuroscience and Behaviour Research Group.

School of Biological Sciences: Strong expertise in organic and inorganic marine pollution, and environmental chemical measurement techniques focusing on estuarine environments

University of Plymouth Spin-out Companies

K2 Medical Systems

Medical devices and software company working in the field of patient monitoring during childbirth

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