Overview
Welcome to the website of the Department of Plant Sciences in the University of Cambridge - the leading UK university department dedicated to research and teaching in plant, fungal and microbial sciences.
We have our own Library, with a large collection of current periodicals and over 20,000 books and a newly-equipped computer suite.
We also draw on the internationally acclaimed collections of the University Botanic Garden, with its living collection of over 1000 trees and 10,000 other plants, and of the Cambridge Herbarium which is located within our building. This remarkable collection houses over 1 million plant specimens, including over 50,000 type specimens (the original plant material on which species descriptions are based) and the botanical samples collected by Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands during the voyage of HMS Beagle.
Our research and teaching are backed by excellent facilities following a recent three-phase, £2 million refurbishment of our laboratories and investment in new equipment.
Teaching
We contribute to undergraduate teaching courses in the first, second and third years, namely:
- First Year - Biology of Cells; Mathematical Biology; Evolution and Behaviour; Physiology of Organisms
- Second Year - Plant and Microbial Sciences; Cell and Developmental Biology; Ecology
- Third Year - Plant Sciences
All our teaching provision was assessed by the UK's Quality Assurance Agency and received the maximum score of 24. Our aim is to provide as much hands-on "wet" practical teaching as we can, to ensure that students who follow these courses are well-equipped with laboratory skills and knowledgeable about techniques. See our Teaching pages for more detail about the individual courses.
Research
There are several research laboratories in the Department, conducting research in the following areas: Transport, signalling and metabolism; Plant cell development; Pathology and Epidemiology; Ecology and Ecophysiology.
The Department's research was graded 5 in the 2001 national Research Assessment Exercise, indicating that most of our research is rated by independent reviewers as being of international quality. See our Research pages for more detail about the individual laboratories.