The School of Biosciences, Chanakya University offers a one-year interdisciplinary PG diploma course in Bioinformatics and Synthetic biology. The program introduces the student to the emerging field of synthetic biology and the application of bioinformatics techniques in synthetic biology. 

Synthetic biology is an emerging field in biology harnessing engineering principles to biology. It combines genetic manipulations, genome editing, and metabolic engineering techniques in living systems and has the potential to transform several areas of high socio-economic relevance such as healthcare, agriculture, environment, materials science, energy, clean water and manufacturing.

Bioinformatics/computational biology brings together disciplines such as computer science, mathematics, physics and biology to analyze and understand biological systems from molecules to whole organisms. It combines mathematical modeling, data analysis, and computational simulations to understand complex biological systems. 

The diploma program is designed for experiential learning and incorporates a mix of theory, tutorial and practical sessions. Featured topics include genetic engineering of microbes, advanced genome editing tools such as CRISPR, and TALEN, protein engineering, metabolic engineering, and metabolic flux analysis for optimization, basic computer programming, biological databases and tools, systems biology, insilico prediction of protein structure, and analysis of NGS data.

Program Highlights

• Liberal and interdisciplinary education: Enhance your experience of learning by exploring academic and other subjects offered at Chanakya University to develop a broad skill set.
• Hands-on Experience: Gain practical experience through laboratory sessions and projects, where you will have hands-on training on recombinant DNA technology, advanced genome editing methods, engineering microbes and metabolic pathways, programming languages for biology, advanced bioinformatics, and NGS data analysis.
• Cutting-edge Research: Explore the latest advancements in synthetic biology, including CRISPR technology, metabolic engineering, and bioinformatics.
• The students will be carrying out a real-world project in the areas of synthetic biology and computational biology as a part of the curriculum

Eligibility

1. Students with a Master’s Degree in any branch of Biology B.E Biotechnology, MBBS, and a 3-year BS program with Biology as a major are eligible to apply.
2. Illustrative eligible subject areas are Life sciences (zoology, botany, genetics, human biology, general life sciences, ecology, environmental biology), bioinformatics, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, agriculture, medicine, dentistry, horticulture, forestry, and veterinary sciences.
3. A student should have obtained an aggregate score of at least 55% in his/her highest qualifying exam.
4. Students in the final semester of their Master’s degree or B.E or MBBS are also eligible to apply, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and submitting the original documents before the last date as announced by the university.
5. If a student has a backlog and does not declare it during the admissions, then his/her admission will be cancelled.
6. Applicants who have had a break in their education or have been working for a few years are also eligible.
7. In case any further details are required, please contact us at sbs@chanakyauniversity.edu.in
8. Indian nationals, NRIs, and foreign nationals who have passed the qualifying degree examination outside of India, must submit the Equivalence Certificate issued by the Association of Indian Universities along with their application.

Admission procedure 

(i) Entrance examination and interview

The admission process will involve an online entrance examination followed by an interview. The entrance test to the program will cover the subjects physics, mathematics, and chemistry, at the class 12 level and the life sciences at the UG level. The university reserves the right to change the admission procedure, including the exam dates, the pattern, the duration, and the syllabus of the examination. Any change in the examination pattern will be intimated to the applicants. The shortlisted candidates will be interviewed either in person at Chanakya University or in online mode. Candidates will be intimated in due course about the date and mode of entrance examination and interview.

(ii) Admission score 

• The entrance examination is a qualifier for the interview.
• The Admission Score is based on the performance in the interview and the candidate’s earlier academic performance.

Program Structure