Course catalogue
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Academic Programme
Implemented from September 2025
Introduction to biophysics and microscopies for life science (5 ECTS)
Semester 1
+
All courses during this semester
- Experimental methods on innovative research infrastructures - 5 ECTS
- Digital Micro-certification "The challenges of sustainable chemistry" - 10h
- Transferable skills : French language & interculturality (3 ECTS)
- Quantum mechanics towars quantum computing (5 ECTS)
- Winter school in Data Science (2 ECTS)
- Organic / Inorganic chemistry towards sustainability (5 ECTS)
- Kinetics and Electrochemistry (5 ECTS)
- Introduction to biophysics and microscopies for life science (5 ECTS)
Semester 2
+
All courses during this semester
- Luminescence spectroscopy of Lanthanides (3 ECTS)
- Summer School in Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)
- Transferable skills: Polish course (3 ECTS)
- The molecules of life: from structure to chemical function (5 ECTS)
- Thermodynamics and soft matter (3 ECTS)
- Introduction to solid state (5 ECTS)
- Tech-infused perspectives on photochemical reaction dynamics (6 ECTS)
- Transferable skills: Portuguese course (3 ECTS)
- Summer School in Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)
- Solid State Physics (5 ECTS)
- Molecular Energetics (3 ECTS)
- Laboratory of Materials and Surface Analysis (5 ECTS)
- Interfacial Electrochemistry (3 ECTS)
- Interfaces, Colloids and Self-Assembly (6 ECTS)
Semester 3
+
All courses during this semester
- 1-year research project - master thesis (equivalent 45 ECTS)
- Progress assessment of the research project (equivalent 6 ECTS)
- Weekly seminars (equivalent 4 ECTS)
- Special Topics in Chemistry (equivalent 5 ECTS)
- French language courses (3 ECTS)
- Nanosciences (6 ECTS)
- Medical applications of nanomaterials and radiations (6 ECTS)
- Top management, corporate law, and project writing for technology transfer and decision making (4 ECTS)
- Tracking ultrafast radiation-induced reactivity (3 ECTS)
- Applications for renewable energy and storage: solar fuels, batteries and hydrogen (6 ECTS) (6 ECTS)
- Scientific Writing and career objectives (2 ECTS)
- Surface Science and Nanostructuring at Surfaces (6 ECTS)
- Polymers for electronics and energy harvesting (5 ECTS)
- Electrochemical systems for fuel and electrolysis cells and batteries (6 ECTS)
- Project-based laboratory on device building (3 ECTS)
- Italian Courses (3 ECTS)
- Chemistry and Technology of Catalysis (5 ECTS)
Content
Introduction to biology: the toolbox for biophysics
- Cell biology (From DNA to proteins, Cell architecture and motility, The Cell cycle)
- Biochemistry (The elementary bricks of life: proteins, DNA, RNA, membrane/lipids)
Biophysics and microscopies for the life sciences
- Optical microscopy: Fluorescence and fluorescent probes for biology, setups for microscopy, super-resolved microscopy techniques, applications to quantitative analysis of molecular behaviors in live cells
- Introduction to Atomic Force Microscopy: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM): Theory and application of AFM. From cells to single molecule studies (Living cells imaging, DNA imaging, biopolymer elasticity).
Practical courses
- Visualization of cell’s cytoskeleton: The aim of the course is to use the immunofluorescence technique to stain components of the cell (actin filaments, tubulins and microtubules) on fixed cells.
- Bioinformatics: The aim of this course is to learn how to use the PDB website and to visualize protein structures in 3D with VMD.
- Atomic force microscopy: This practical course will teach to student how to use an AFM (imaging and force curve analysis) to study fixed and dried cells (bacteria or eukaryotic cells).
- Spectroscopic analysis of the isomerization of a GFP chromophore: The aim of this practical course is to analyze the molecular events happening in a cyan fluorescent protein upon a pH jump from 7 to 5.
- Data analysis of microscopy data [3h ON, ½ classe] Students will analyze time-resolved recordings of biological parameters. They will use in-situ calibration data to quantify cellular concentrations.
Aims
This course is an introduction to several concepts of Biophysics organized by a multidisciplinary team composed of physico-chemist, physicists and cell biologists. It will focus on microscopies and their application to biology.
Activities in small groups, research related tutorials and hands-on will help to develop critical faculties of the students.
Teaching Staff
Marie Erard (Course Coordinator)
Sophie Dupré
Oliver Nüsse
Ariane Deniset
Hours
Lectures: 10h
Exercises: 8h
Laboratory: 16.5h