Module Directory

Microbial biotechnology is a fast-moving field that is vital for sustainable development, economic growth and employment. In this module you will learn first-hand about the application of microbes by visiting several organisations involved in environmental, plant and medical biotechnology, including large biotechnology companies and smaller enterprises. Microbial biotechnology is a fast-moving field that is vital for sustainable development, economic growth and employment. In this module you will learn first-hand about the application of microbes by visiting several organisations involved in environmental, plant and medical biotechnology, including large biotechnology companies and smaller enterprises.

These visits, which will include tours and talks by experts, will bring microbial biotechnology to life. They will be supported by lectures explaining how we: turn waste into fuel, recover valuable resources, use innovative molecular techniques to detect pathogens, apply microbes to help feed the growing human population, develop new medicines and enzymes using microbial diversity and synthetic biology, and how processes can be scaled up using bioreactors. This exposure to microbial biotechnology in practice will help you to recognise the breadth and types of future employment opportunities. 

The aims of this module are:

• To develop students’ understanding of aspects of microbial genetics, physiology and ecology that underpin biotechnological processes. 


• To enable students to visit organisations that use biotechnology, and so obtain first-hand understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with translating ideas into practice. 


• To provide students with the skills and understanding to analyse the scientific literature, and propose a biotechnological process that addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate a thorough and critical understanding of the links between microbial genetics, metabolic processes, biotechnological applications and sustainable development goals.


2. Discuss how genetic modification of microbes is used to improve biotechnological processes.


3. Discuss how the interactions between microbes, and with other organisms, can be applied in biotechnology.


4. Explain approaches and challenges associated with commercialising biotechnological processes, particularly large-scale cultivation of microbes for the production of valuable resources.


5. Critically evaluate the scientific literature and analyse/interpret data.


6. Apply skills, knowledge and understanding of microbial biotechnology to identify a solution to a societal problem; and develop a proposal communicating the biotechnological solution in different formats.

Module Cap Criteria
Students should choose this module via eNROL. The Department will then contact students to advise of the application process.

Indicative Syllabus

Lecture 1 – Module overview

• How microbiology contributes to sustainable development and economic growth


• Employment opportunities in microbial biotechnology


• Coursework overview

Lectures 2-6 – Microbes for the circular economy – from wastewater treatment to nutrient recovery and energy production (linked to site visit 1)

• Providing clean water (decreasing the load of pathogens and organic matter)


• Innovative resource recovery (focus on the nitrogen and phosphorous cycles)


• Anaerobic digestion for energy generation (including methanogenesis and issues of antibiotic resistance in sludge application)


• Monitoring, including rapid molecular detection, of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in the environment


• Bioremediation of organic pollutants

Site Visit 1 – e.g. Anglian Water's wastewater recycling facility in Colchester

Lectures 7-10 – Microbes in the food and agritech industries (linked to site visit 2) 

• Microbes beneficial to soil and plants, including mychorizzal fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria


• Crop pathogenesis and spoilage


• Microbial problems and solutions in aquaculture


• Microbes in food production and as foods

Site Visit 2 – e.g. from: CABI, NIAB, Kew Gardens, Syngenta. Alternatives: Brewery, Seed companies, Colchester Oyster Fisheries

Lectures 11-15 – Innovative microbial solutions to global challenges (linked to site visit 3)

• Obtaining and optimising novel enzymes and pharmaceuticals from microbes


• Methods for controlled and large-scale production of biochemicals in bioreactors


• Microbiome transfer to improve health

Site Visit 3 – e.g. a research park, such as Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge (with companies like Microbiotica, DRW, Isomerase)

Lectures 16-17 – Formative feedback on student pitches, introducing the main coursework topic "proposal for the development of a microbial product or process"

The module combines theory (via lectures) and practice (via site visits) on a range of topics in microbial biotechnology. The lectures are largely based around finding solutions to real-world problems, thereby motivating students to learn underlying concepts. Site visits have a number of educational benefits outlined by McGenity et al. 2021 Microbial Biotechnology 13, 844-887, not least by demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of the work place, introducing employment opportunities, and making real-world connections with the concepts that students have learned and the skills that they have developed at University. Importantly, site visits facilitate the building of a student community and interactions with teaching staff.

We have good connections with a range of organisations to which site visits are proposed, but there has to be flexibility due to unforeseen circumstances. If a site visit cannot go ahead we will endeavour to reschedule or make alternative arrangements.

Coursework will include quizzes to encourage continuous learning and assess key concepts and data analysis/interpretaion skills. The submission of a site-visit log book will encourage good record keeping. The main coursework will be a proposal for a biotechnological product or process, which gives students a wide range of options, thereby increasing their motivation to learn. Guidance will be provided by a model answer (which is feasible because of the breadth of topics) and by inviting early submission of ideas in the form of a pitch, for which formative feedback will be provided.

Different learning styles are catered for through the approaches to teaching by including hands-on practical experiences, the use of visuals and audio input as well as links to on-line resources. Learning and teaching methods will include lectures, feedback sessions and site visits.