School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester

The School of Biological Sciences is a School within the Faculty Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester. Biology at University of Manchester and its precursor institutions has gone through a number of reorganizations (see History below), the latest of which was the change from a Faculty of Life Sciences to the current School.

The School, though unitary for teaching, is divided into a number of broadly defined sections for research purposes, these sections consist of: Cellular Systems, Disease Systems, Molecular Systems, Neuro Systems and Tissue Systems. Research in the School is structured into multiple research groups including the following themes:

The School hosts a number of research centres, including: the Manchester Centre for Biophysics and Catalysis, the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, the Centre of Excellence in Biopharmaceuticals, the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, the Centre for Integrative Mammalian Biology, and the Healing Foundation Centre for Tissue Regeneration. The Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research is a joint endeavour with the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences of Manchester University and industrial partners.

The faculty entered research into the units of assessment (UOA) for Biological Sciences and Pre-clinical and Human Biological Sciences. In Biological Sciences 20% of outputs were rated 4* (World Class) and 40% 3* (Internationally Excellent), for 107 category A staff. In the Pre-clinical unit, 20% were rated 4* and 45% 3*, for 72 category A staff. Quality assessment by Grade Point Average (GPA) ranks the faculty 3rd and 2nd in the UK for these units respectively

Zoology was taught at Manchester since the foundation of Owens College in 1851 when William Crawford Williamson was appointed professor of natural history with responsibilities to teach botany, physiology, geology and zoology. His teaching load was reduced by the creation of independent chairs in geology (1874), and zoology (1879).

Williamson embodied a traditional view of natural history, with its strong bias to taxonomic classification. From the 1860s onwards this approach began to change under the influence of German university biologists. The appointment of Arthur Milnes Marshall (1852–1893) as professor of zoology at Owens in 1879 led to the adoption of this 'new biology' approach at Manchester. Marshall had been trained by these methods at Cambridge. Marshall modernised the zoology curriculum, introduced courses in elementary biology and embryology, and lobbied for the establishment of dedicated research laboratories. In 1887, the Beyer laboratories were opened, funded by a local industrialist, C. F. Beyer; they were conveniently placed next to the Manchester Museum.

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