Admission requirements
Preferably students have successfully finished the Orientation course.
For orientation:
Prepare yourself by visiting relevant websites and check out research themes
Visit the internship market on 20 September 2024 for orientation and internship possibilities.
Get in touch with teachers of the courses you find interesting and discuss internships possibilities
Read the MSc research project booklet (BrightSpace > Opleiding Biologie > MSc Research Projects)
For registration:
Prior to the start the research project agreement form must be filled out in ProjectMAP.
ProjectMAP is the online administration tool for IBL research projects (agreements, evaluations and assessments). See below.
Description
Research projects are an important part of the Biology Master programmes at Leiden University. During a Research Project, students will learn to independently design, plan, and conduct scientific research. All aspects of scientific research, from reading relevant literature and formulating a research question up to reporting and presenting of the results will be addressed. Throughout their Research Project, the student is an integral part of the host research group, engaging actively in the collective research endeavours of the group, which include collaborative work discussions, and attending lectures organised within the host institute, such as the IBL Spotlight seminars.
Duration
The Research Project must be 36 EC.
Where
Students can carry out their Research Project at one of the institutes participating in the Leiden University Biology education programme: IBL, CML, Hortus, or Naturalis. Also allowed are: research groups within other institutes at the Faculty of Science which focus on life science-related research, the LUMC, the NIOO, academic institutions other than Leiden University, companies, government institutions, and other institutions with scientific activities.
Structure
In the first month the student will get acquainted with the research topic by reading scientific literature directly related to the research project, and by performing the first experiments under guidance of the direct supervisor. At the end of this period the student will present the research plan in a general work discussion of the department. The next months of the research project the student will perform experiments according to the plan, and keep up to date on the developments in the field by reading literature and participating in regular work discussions. At the end of the project, the student gives a public oral presentation followed by discussion to the relevant research group and hands in a MSc report.
For all rules regarding Research Projects, read the Master research project booklet on Brightspace (BrightSpace > Course Biology > MSc Research Projects).
Course objectives
At the end of the course, the student is able to:
1. Apply and analyse insight gained into the selected research field
2. Design and execute experiments independently within a particular research field.
3. Identify and reproduce scientific developments and conduct literature research in the field.
4. Devise and setup new methods, experiments and techniques.
5. Clearly describe the problem definition, hypothesis, methodology, data acquisition and analysis, interpretation, and discussion in the format of a research article suitable for a journal relevant to the research topic.
6. Present research results for a scientific audience.
Timetable
Research projects can be started at any time, however, keep in mind to contact staff or an external supervisor in time to find a project of interest. Also see the yearly schedule in the e-prospectus.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
During the research project, the student is a member of a research group and participates in the common scientific activities of the research group (such as work discussions) and lectures in the host institute (for instance IBL spotlight seminars). Theoretical and practical instructions will be provided by the daily supervisor. Consultation and feedback during the project is provided by the daily supervisor (weekly) and responsible supervisor (once a month).
Assessment method
The final mark for the MSc-research project is calculated as follows:
Oral presentations: 10 %
Written proposal: 10%
Practical work: 40%
MSc report: 40%
The Research Project is assessed by the first examiner/ responsible supervisor. The report is also assessed by the second examiner. The student needs to complete an evaluation of the supervision in order to receive a grade.
The final grade is the weighted average of the sub scores.
Reading list
Check out the research topics app for a network of supervisors
Check out the research themes at the IBL
Check out the research groups and internships on the Naturalis website.
Check out the LUMC research themes
Visit the CML website, the Hortus website and the NIOO_KNAW website
Registration
Prior to the start a research project agreement form must be filled out and approved in ProjectMAP:
-Go to https://science-stage.universiteitleiden.nl/ and log in with your ULCN account.
-Go to ‘Aanvragen’ and click on the tab MSc research project (make sure to select CML if your project is supervised by a CML staff member).
Contact
Contact via: bio-internshipscoordinator@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
The final draft of the report needs to be submitted in 2 places: for a plagiarism check via the Brightspace course Opleiding Biologie > MSc Research Projects > Handing in MSc report, and in ProjectMAP.
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