PhD in synthetic biology, wood chemistry and bioprocessing
Contemporary wood chemistry and bioprocessing allow local bio-resources to be valorized into final products with great additional value, but this has yet to gain ground in Estonia. The doctoral projects will be carried out at the Wood Chemistry and Bioprocessing Core Laboratory and are mainly focused on chemical and biotechnological valorization technologies for wood and biomass and optimizing industrial processes. Every project will be designed in close cooperation with an Estonian company to develop a marketable final product. We see wood valorization in innovative value chains as a clear priority, and we are prepared to take real steps to facilitate cooperation with companies via applied research. The program is also a good opportunity to include the latest results of world-class research in product development at an early stage and thus increase competitiveness on the market for innovative materials. Companies which are interested in such doctoral are always welcome; it is an opportunity to accomplish two tasks: to conduct research that is necessary for product development and to train leading specialists who match the company’s profile. We are also planning to cooperate with the labs of TalTech and the Estonian University of Life Sciences in order to expand its technological and scientific capabilities.
Bioengineering MSc Program
Bioengineering supports the fast-growing fields of industrial biotechnology and circular bioeconomy that are expected to become the key solutions for humanity’s goal to achieve the biosustainability of our planet. There is also a growing need for specialists in bioengineering as industrial biotechnology, biomass valorization, and synthetic biology will be the basis of the industrial revolution of the 21-st century.
The master’s program in bioengineering is an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines different fields of applied biotechnology, synthetic biology, wood chemistry, engineering, and information technology. The main aim of the program is to educate specialists with skills and knowledge that will help them to find jobs and contribute to the success of various companies working in the field.
The curriculum structure allows students to design their study plans, emphasizes practical training, and provides internship opportunities in various companies and research laboratories. For example, current students complete their internships in the Netherlands Cancer Institute and the University of Cambridge (5th in THE ranking).
Program alumni are highly competent specialists. They work for biotech companies (e.g., Icosagen in Estonia), joined the prestigious research groups in the University of Copenhagen (96th in THE ranking), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, etc.
You can find more information about the program here: https://bioengineering.ut.ee
Science & Technology BSc Program
The interdisciplinary curriculum “Science & Technology” has become a successful international program, led by program director assoc. prof. Ilona Faustova and prof. Mart Loog in close collaboration with the molecular biology and engineering laboratories within the Faculty and the Estonian Centre for Synthetic Biology (ECSB).
The three-year bachelor’s program includes innovative content. It provides a broad overview of natural and exact sciences and technologies with the aim to combine different inter-disciplinary fields of synthetic biology, genetics, chemistry, materials science, engineering. The program is practice-oriented and encourages students to utilize theoretical knowledge in practice. For the first 1.5 years, students receive basic knowledge and practical skills in the fields of Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, programming, molecular and cell biology, and others. After the 3rd semester, students select one of the three specializations:
• bioengineering and robotics
• genetics and biotechnology
• chemistry and materials science.
This curriculum structure provides students with the possibility to try out different study fields before making a consent decision.
Science & Technology students have the unique opportunity to join the Estonia_TUIT team already during the 2nd semester and participate in iGEM, the world’s largest synthetic biology competition. The competition aims to tackle local or global problems using synthetic biology approaches. More than 6000 participants, over 300 teams from more than 40 countries participate in iGEM every year. Estonia_TUIT is the only team from Estonia and comprises exclusively of Science & Technology students.
The excellent quality of the education provided by the Science and Technology curriculum is illustrated by its alumni. Graduates of Science and Technology bachelor’s program are welcome in the world’s most prestigious universities: Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris (40th in THE ranking), University of Notre Dame (183rd in THE ranking), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (40th in THE ranking), Uppsala University (131th in THE ranking). Moreover, two bachelor graduates of 2021 were accepted directly to the Ph.D. program at the University of Notre Dame.
You can find more information about the program here: https://st.ut.ee.