Biophysics is a scientific discipline at the crossroads of biology, physics, and chemistry. Biophysicists study structure and function of biological molecules, cells and organisms using the principles and methods of physics. Biophysicists do not only study biological systems, they also develop and build new instruments and tools for research and biomedical applications. These are very exciting times for biophysics. Following the human genome project, a milestone in molecular biology and genetics, a growing number of biophysicists will be needed to decipher the structures of all the gene products and the complex interactions between them. Biophysics contributes to a more fundamental understanding of the life sciences and their foundation in physics. It encompasses such rapidly developing fields as biomolecular modelling, crystallography, spectroscopy, radiology, medical physics, ultrasound, and nanotechnology (the science of working with and building structures to the scale of 10-10,000 atoms).

In addition to courses in biophysics students will take courses from a range of fields including physics, chemistry, neuroscience, physiology, biochemistry and structural biology. More information about the Biophysics Dual Major.

Graduates in Biophysics will have interdisciplinary training and will acquire transferable skills providing them with unique ability to blend into a large variety of working environments including:

Universities and research centres
• The pharmaceutical and cosmetological (the science of cosmetics) industries
• Hospitals working with Computer Assisted Tomography (CAT) scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Government departments as advisors assisting governments in understanding rapid developments in modern science
• Development of medical instruments
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• Biotechnology industry and research