Study @ SANBI
In keeping with its vision of becoming a centre of excellence in biomedical research and
education in the global, African and South African context, SANBI offers Honours, Masters
and Doctoral postgraduate programmes.
Students who are interested in Bioinformatics as a career path are encouraged to take a
combination of relevant subjects in Life or Health Sciences, Statistics, Computer Science
and Mathematics during their undergraduate degree.
BSc Honours
Honours projects are not offered directly by SANBI, but can be done at SANBI in collaboration with various departments at the UWC or other Research Institutes such as the African Institute for Mathematical Studies.
BSc Honours Admission Requirements
Students who have shown exceptional research potential during their undergraduate degrees with averages in main subjects >60% will be considered, upon recommendation by the department through which they are registered, for the BSc Honours degree.
The undergraduate degree can be from various scientific fields including but not restricted to any of the Biosciences, Computer Science, Statistics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences.
Read more on SANBI application instructions and procedures.
MSc in Bioinformatics
SANBI offers a research Masters’ degree in Bioinformatics. Candidates with a BSc Honours degree or equivalent in a related scientific subject area may apply.
The programme consists of a combination of research and course work where required.
Read more on SANBI application instructions and procedures.
MSc in Bioinformatics Admission Requirements
Participants in the MSc in Bioinformatics programme should be in possession of a BSc Honours degree (average score not less than 60%) in a related scientific subject area.
Candidates with an undergraduate degree or diploma (M +3) having at least 3-5 years’ professional experience will also be considered.
Candidates who have shown significant potential, but did not achieve the necessary score requirements, may be considered at the discretion of SANBI Faculty. The case, however, has to be well motivated.
Read more on application instructions and procedures.
Read more on SANBI application instructions and procedures.
PhD in Bioinformatics
Candidates should be in possession of a Masters’ degree in Bioinformatics or in a related scientific field such as Biotechnology, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Biochemistry and Engineering or other areas judged as relevant by SANBI Faculty.
Read more on SANBI application instructions and procedures.
Postdoctoral Programme
Postdoctoral fellows are admitted to the research programme after consultation with a potential SANBI supervisor and their admittance has to be approved by SANBI Faculty.
Research programmes for postdoctoral fellows are associated with at least one major project based at SANBI. During the course of training at SANBI as postdoctoral fellow, a person will be exposed to various aspects of academic and research activities. The main focus of the programme is research. Other activities may include participation in grant preparation, assisting junior research students, participation in journal club, and other activities that will prepare them for a career in Bioinformatics.
Postdoctoral fellows are expected to publish journal articles in high-profile peer-reviewed journals.
Read more on SANBI application instructions and procedures.
STUDY @ SANBI Application Instructions and Procedures
The application procedure to study at SANBI involves two steps: the formal application to UWC and an internal application to SANBI for consideration.
1. SANBI Application Instructions
Details of each SANBI faculty member, their lab research interests and email addresses are available here .
The SANBI application process requires that candidates identify a supervisor in line with their research interests.
The candidate should email their selected supervisor an introductory essay on their interest in bioinformatics and their expectations from the programme of interest.
All candidates will be interviewed by the SANBI faculty member, after which the decision on acceptance to the programme will be made.
The SANBI Student Administrator may be contacted at fungiwe@sanbi.ac.za for further information.
2. UWC Application Instructions
All UWC applications are done through online registration which can be completed here.
All communication with regards to the online application is done via email.
Once your application has been received and processed, it will be forwarded to the UWC Faculty of Science.
The Faculty Officer will notify you about the outcome of your application in due course, after which you are ready to register for your studies at UWC.
Registration dates will be communicated to you.
3. Expectations of Students
Students will complete a Memorandum of Understanding agreement between their supervisor and themselves.
It is compulsory that students participate in weekly lab meetings and journal club meetings where relevant publications are prepared, presented, and discussed.
Studies at SANBI may include the opportunity to visit collaborators and attend courses or conferences relevant to the research project.
Visits to foreign laboratories and attendance of conferences are dependent on the performance of the student as well as availability of funding resources.
Students must adhere to rules and regulations set out by the University of the Western Cape to obtain their degrees.