Reading List

We often get requests for a reading list: below is a (non-exhaustive) list of suggested readings in preparation for commencing your studies in September. 

For students who want to brush off their molecular biology knowledge, we would suggest any recent textbook about molecular biology. For example: [Molecular biology / David P. Clark, Nanette J. Pazdernik, Michelle R. McGehee, Third edition, London, Academic Press, 2019]. 

We would suggest any basic biochemistry and genetics text books to get non-biologists up to speed but those with a strong biosciences background will likely already have sufficient notes and knowledge. 

For the Tools for Synthetic Biology & Applications of Synthetic Biology courses, and those wishing to get a head start, we would suggest a general overview of the field of synthetic biology: [Synthetic Biology: A Primer (Revised Edition) / Geoff Baldwin, London, Imperial College Press, 2012] will be useful throughout the year. An excellent alternative is [Synthetic Biology: A Very Short Introduction / Jamie A. Davies, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018] or the more specialised [Mammalian synthetic biology / Jamie Davies, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020] for those interested in this aspect of the subject. 

These books can be awfully expensive and there are many to choose from, but it is best to invest in a new (possibly electronic) edition rather than a second-hand version. There will be access to such books through the University library.