Welcome Letter
The Department of Experimental and Evolutionary biology (BES) of the University of Bologna was created in 1987 by the merger of four scientific bodies of the Faculty of Sciences: the Institute of Botany, the Institute of Zoology, the Institute of Comparative Anatomy and the Institute of Genetics. The present scientific and structural organisation of the BES was completed only in 1995 through the further aggregation of the Institute of Anthropology.
“Biology has become one of the most popular degrees in the University”
Notably, during the last three decades Biology has become one of the most popular degrees at the University of Bologna. Accordingly, the BES is one of the largest departments of the University, both in terms of budget and staff. The Department is funded by several sources (local, national and international): the University of Bologna; a few Regional Governments; the National Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR); the National Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MIPAF); the National Ministry of Health; the European Union (UE); private and public institutions such as Telethon and AIRC. The overall income of BES in the financial year 2004 was close to 3.0 million Euros (excluding the salaries of the permanent staff equal to 7.7 million Euros).
“The BES is located around the central University area”
In Bologna, the BES is distributed over three buildings located around the central University area (How to Find Us). These comprise the 4,000 m2 of the Museums of Comparative Anatomy, Zoology and Anthropology; the 2,000 m2 of lecture halls, student facilities and teaching laboratories; the 400 m2 of libraries; the 3,500 m2 of research laboratories, and the 2,600 m2 of offices. The BES also includes the Botanical Garden, which covers a total area of 18,600 m2 of which 350 m2 are greenhouses, as well as the Laboratory of Marine Biology (3,600 m2) located in Fano, on the Adriatic Sea coast, where experimental facilities for fishery and marine research are available (Marine Biology Lab).
“The BES has taken a leading position in basic research”
The competence and long-standing experience in key areas of evolutionary, functional and molecular biology make BES one of the leading departments for basic research in the biological field. Presently, members of the Department supervise an average of 100 undergraduate students, 40 PhD students, and 30 post-doctoral fellows and research associates. The scientific activity of BES is documented by an average of 150 papers published annually on ISI journals, in addition to approximately 100 other publications (proceedings, reviews, and chapters) on research books.
We invite potential graduate students and post-doctoral
fellows who wish to complete their scientific preparation to seriously
consider the BES (Graduate & Post-Doctoral Training). We also welcome
proposals on the part of both young or experienced scientists to establish
collaborative research work with members of our department (Research
Groups) in order to expand the learning goals and scientific skills
of the BES.
Sincerely,
Davide Zannoni
Professor of General Microbiology and Head
Department of Evolutionary & Experimental Biology
