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Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamVrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Minor Research Project M BSB

2025-2026

• Vakbeschrijving

• Vakdetails

Vakcode XM_0072 Studiepunten 18 EC Periode Ac. Jaar (september) Vakniveau 500 Onderwijstaal Engels Faculteit Faculteit der Bètawetenschappen

De inteken- en afmeldtermijnen staan op VU.nl

Dit vak wordt in het Engels aangeboden. Omschrijvingen kunnen daardoor mogelijk alleen in het Engels worden weergegeven.

Doel vak

During the minor research project, you will show that you can independently perform research, as part of fulfilling all exit qualifications of the Master Bioinformatics and Systems Biology.

You will have the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in a topic of their interest, either within or beyond the core areas of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology. This can serve both as preparation for the Major Research Project and as a valuable standalone experience. During the research you will independently explore a complex scientific question, applying and expanding your skills in computational analysis, biological interpretation, and research design. You will engage in many stages of the research process, including formulating a research question and developing a strategy to analyzing data and communicating results. It is not only a demonstration of scientific ability but also a chance for you to grow as an independent researcher, capable of contributing meaningfully to the life sciences. This prepares you for a career as a researcher in industry as well as academia.

You can do your Minor Research Project in many different types of locations; any research lab, e.g. in a company, university, institute, or hospital is possible. You can also do your research project abroad.

After successfully completing the research project,

• You can demonstrate deep knowledge and understanding of the context and background relevant to their research project. [knowledge and understanding]
• You can translate a scientific problem in a specific field into a well-defined research question using a suitable approach to investigate it. [applying knowledge and understanding]
• You can design and implement a coherent workflow or strategy involving the use of computational methods and/or quantitative experiments. [applying knowledge and understanding]
• You can integrate different types of knowledge (biological, mathematical, computational) to perform research in Bioinformatics or Systems Biology or a related topic [applying knowledge and understanding]
• You can manage complex data, involving retrieval, preprocessing, analysis and visualization, using tools appropriate to the problem. [applying knowledge and understanding]
• You can critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their own research in the context of current scientific literature. [making judgements]
• You can document their work in a reproducible and transparent way (i.e., FAIR principles) using suitable tools and standards. [learning skills, communication skills]
• You can function effectively within a research environment, including planning and executing research within deadlines, independent work, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional communication. [learning skills, communication skills]
• You effectively communicate the results from their research project, both written in the research thesis, and orally in the presentation and defense [learning skills, communication skills]

Inhoud vak

• You need to gain between 42-60 EC from a Minor and Major Research Project for your Bioinformatics and Systems Biology MSc degree.
• The Major has a minimum duration of 30 ECTS (5 months).
• The Major has a maximum duration of 60 ECTS (10 months).
• Minor and Major Research Projects must be on a different topic.
• The Major Systems Biology Research Project needs to be within the field of Systems Biology, and contain one of the main topics taught in the track or constraint choice courses, as well as a quantitative component focused on interpretation at the system level.
• Research projects should have sufficient modelling, data analysis and systems biology components, as determined by your VU/UvA examiner

For detailed information on the research projects please see: https://canvas.vu.nl/courses/36860/pages/research-projects.

Aanvullende informatie onderwijsvormen

This course consists of an individual research project.