BSc Honours, Infectious Disease and Immunology - PTY4001W
This is one of very few strong honours programmes for immunology and infectious disease in the country, providing a strong grounding for students planning to go on to research. This is a basic immunology block covering innate immune responses, immunity to infection, immunological memory, immunity to HIV and tuberculosis, and an introduction to vaccines.
Please inquire to the convener, A/Prof William Horsnell
MSc/PhD/postdoc level: Research Immunology – PTY6001W
This courses provide a sweeping overview of many of the topics to which one should be familiar if one is to be a PhD immunologist.
This course is formally offered via the University, with code PTY6001W. It is run annually, starting in approximately mid-February until mid-September and meets twice a week for 90 minutes.
Research Immunology cover the basics and more with a strong emphasis on using immunological principles and techniques in one's own research. Included are transgenic mice, knockout mice and conditional and cell-type specific transgenic and knockout mice. The courses also cover graft rejection, natural killer cells, measurement of immune responses, immunological tolerance, vaccines, the microbiome, allergy and hypersensitivity, immune system-induced pathology and primary immunodeficiencies.
There is a strong emphasis on reading and reviewing research papers that use these techniques to derive the basic principles of how the immune system works. Students are required to participate in lectures and lecturer-led journal clubs throughout. Towards the end, students are required to present their own research and to present a published research report of interest to immunology that is not in their main topic of research expertise.
The research immunology course is unique in the country and is an opportunity to receive strong training in how the immune system works. Partly because immunology has its own terminology for recognition receptors and interactions that happen only in the immune system, this sort of training is important for being able to read and understand current immunology research and design good immunology research projects and programmes.
Normally, students from within the Division of Immunology take this course as part of their research training programme. Students from outside with sufficient background are generally welcome and should contact the convener.
The course is convened by Mohlopeni Marakalala.
Postgraduate Supervision
The division supervises postgraduate students from honours to post-doctoral level researchers. These students have all generated bodies of work that have been well received internationally. All have published in peer-reviewed manuscripts or are in the process of having their work published.
There are also excellent possibilities and bursary availability for graduation in Honours, Masters and PhD, and for postdoctoral research.
Please review the research summaries on this website and inquire directly with the supervisor in whom you are interested.
For funding options, please consult the funding page.