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How have computers impacted biology?

This is a Biology Subject Spotlight with Richard Badge from University of Leicester. An interactive, cinematic course taster experience to allow students to gain insights into what it's like to study Biology.

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Join Richard Badge as he introduces Biological Sciences at the University of Leicester within the overarching concept that the biological sciences are changing. He looks closely at biology’s big data, considering how computers are integral to biology, identifies what a genome is and looks at the journey from genetics to epigenetics. Richard goes on to discuss how research projects are fundamental to the course, and how the technology underlying computers is essential for biological analysis, with a focus on DNA sequencing.

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About University of Leicester

The University of Leicester aims to educate, equip and encourage their students to forge a better future. As Citizens of Change, Leicester's research excellence is changing lives and having transformative impact across the globe. Ranked as a Top 30 University, their students and staff make up a powerhouse for ground-breaking research, including being in the top ten UK universities for their COVID-19 research; locating the remains of King Richard III; and the discovery of DNA fingerprinting. Located right in the heart of the East Midlands, Leicester prides itself in being one of the UK’s most multi-cultural cities, playing host to a number of cultural festivals such as a colorful Caribbean Carnival and the largest Diwali celebrations outside of India.

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Meet the academics

Richard Badge

Dr Richard Badge grew up in the historic port city of Plymouth, United Kingdom. In 1989 he went up to study Pure and Applied Biology at Keble College Oxford University, and then went on to complete a PhD in the evolutionary population biology and molecular genetics of fruit fly transposable elements at the University of Nottingham. After a postdoctoral period in Nottingham he secured a Wellcome Trust International Travelling Fellowship to work on human transposable elements at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He completed this Fellowship in the Department of Genetics University of Leicester in the group of Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys FRS. Now, as an Associate Professor in Bioinformatics in the Department of Genetics, he uses computational and molecular genomic methods to study human rodent and primate transposable elements.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Subject Spotlight?

Subject Spotlights fuse education and entertainment to bring you the new way of researching your university options.

Entirely free and available on-demand, you can choose to engage with the content in the way that best suits you - whether that's in bite-sized chunks or in binge-sessions!

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Get a real, representative impression of what pursuing a subject at university is actually like, so that you can make the right decision for you.

Stand out from the competition by completing a Subject Spotlight to gain the most relevant references and evidence for your personal statement.

Who is this Spotlight for?

This subject spotlight is made for students aged 16 and above, that are considering applying to University, particularly to study the subject in the title, or similar areas.

How should I talk about completing a Subject Spotlight on my UCAS application?

Completing a Subject Spotlight shows the university you're applying to that you've taken time outside of school to engage with relevant content.

The easiest way to include it would be to briefly mention one or two things you learned from it and how/why those learnings have furthered your desire to study the subject. We don't want to prescribe an answer because it's your personal statement but this is a good starting point!