Master of Science in Biology

• Fields of specialization

  Fields of specialization

  Students choose two of the six specializations, of which one corresponds to the topic of their Master’s thesis.

  Chemical ecology

  Chemical signalling is the most ancient form of communication among living organisms. This multidisciplinary area explores how organisms, from bacteria to primates, use chemical substances to interact with each other and with their environment. This field is at the interface between ecology, behaviour, animal and plant physiology, analytical chemistry and molecular genetics. Applied areas include agriculture, parasitology, and the fragrance and flavour industry.

  Biodiversity conservation: an interdisciplinary perspective

  The implementation of biodiversity conservation always develops within a complex societal context. In the field, conservation in practice has to deal with legal, economic and social aspects, which is beyond the expertise generally expected of biologists. This module aims at providing students the necessary tools to grasp this complexity. It articulates different approaches, looking at conservation through the lenses of law, economics and social anthropology. Through the analysis of concrete cases and the mobilization of theoretical tools, students acquire the basic knowledge they need to engage with specialists in these disciplines, in order to better apply the multiple aspects of conservation in practice.

  Animal behaviour

  This specialization studies the ultimate causes and the proximal (physiological and cognitive) mechanisms in the evolution of animal behaviour. We consider the emergence and evolution of a wide range of animal behaviours such as cooperation, the establishment of social hierarchies, the resolution of social conflicts, sexual behaviour, and parental behaviour. Our focus is on vertebrates (primates in particular), tropical fish and birds.

  Conservation biology

  This orientation addresses the discipline of conservation  biology by integrating all levels of complexity of life, from population genetics to the biosphere. Through a combination of lectures, practical projects and excursions, students will address the mechanisms driving the current global erosion of biodiversity, with the aim to develop conservation tools for curbing biodiversity losses, restoring viable wild populations, reestablishing functional communities and key ecosystem services.

  Sustainable agriculture

  Achieving global food security with minimal impact on the environment is a major challenge. This specialization presents approaches to agriculture that aim to create sustainability in agricultural ecosystems. We discuss how studying the interactions between plants and herbivores or pathogens can help to develop ecologically friendly strategies to protecting crops from such threats.