Admission requirements
For master students of Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences only. The student has succesfully completed the research proposal and the lab safety exam in the Introduction course.
Description
Research Project 1 (RP1) is the core of the master Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences programme. It aims to train students to independently conduct scientific research in the area of the research specialisation at one of the Divisions of the LACDR, LIC, CHDR or at external research groups to which LACDR professors are affiliated. Guidelines for Research Project 1 are available in the Brightspace module ‘MSc Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences’.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, the student:
has obtained in depth knowledge, understanding and practical research experience in the core principles and recent developments in a subject area of drug research;
is able to apply knowledge, insights and skills to work independently as a drug researcher with a professional responsible academic attitude;
is able to perform a literature search and select and interpret scientific literature;
is able to apply his/her knowledge when designing and conducting experiments;
has demonstrated competence in applied research methods in a subject area of drug research;
is able to critically interpret and reflect on obtained results and contribute new ideas;
is able to function adequately in the research group, collaborate with other researchers and contribute to scientific discussions.
Timetable
Research Project 1 is scheduled to start in November (semester 1, period 2). It takes 33 weeks of 40 hours a week, including 28 weeks for practical work, 3.5 weeks for writing the thesis, and 1.5 weeks for preparing and delivering the oral presentation ('colloquium'). For the oral presentation a fixed date is planned for all students that started in November with the Research Project 1.
Mode of instruction
Practical work, self study, discussions.
Assessment method
The level at which the student has reached the course objectives during the conduction of his/her Research Project 1 will be assessed based on the evaluation criteria as laid down in the Research Project 1 Assessment Form. The final grade is expressed using an integer between 1.0 and 10.0 and can be rounded off/up to a half integer, with the exception of the grade 5.5. The final grade should be ≥6.0 to successfully complete this course.
During Research Project 1, the progress of the student is evaluated approximately every 3 months (in week 10, 20 and 30). The (daily) supervisor is responsible for this evaluation process and is obliged to fill out the form in ProjectMAP and discuss the progress with the student. In case a student is graded "insufficient" for one or more of the evaluated parts of the Research Project 1 practical work in week 10 and/or 20, a plan of action is made with agreements on how to improve these parts in order to reach a sufficient level. Please note that in case the final grade of the Practical Work of Research Project 1 is (still) graded as "insufficient", the entire Research Project 1 will need to be conducted again, including the Thesis and the Oral Presentation, under supervision of a different daily supervisor and first examiner.
Reading list
During Research Project 1, the student is expected to get up-to-date with the relevant scientific literature in the subject area of drug research.
Registration
Before starting the Research Project 1 the student needs to complete the RP1 registration form in ProjectMAP to get approval from the supervisors and the programme office. A project description needs to be included. As part of the RP1 placement procedure, students from the bachelor BFW programme also need to send in an RP1 registration form with a motivation letter expressing their interests in the specific areas of drug research. This procedure starts with a pre-registration in spring and ends with a definite registration in September.
Registration for the course via MyStudymap is not needed.
Contact
For general information about the Research Project 1 please contact the study advisor (studyadvisorBPS@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl).
Remarks
This information is without prejudice. Alterations can be made for next year.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.