University of Central Lancashire

Faculty of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences

1. School of Medicine

The school of medicine offers several postgraduate courses and associate training courses for medical professionals. The well-structured and frequently updated courses provide a suitable training ground for further association with the Royal Academy of practitioners through its specialized skill-disbursement in diverse fields that encompass medicine. The school also provides unique courses such as the optometry course which combines the facets of ophthalmology and optometry. The school holds a 100% employment rate for its Physician associates. The medical school has also launched a ‘patient volunteer program’ and ‘pathways to medicine’ program to provide assistance to patients and students from under-represented universities respectively.

Research Centers and Units

• West Cumberland Medical Education Centre
• National Centre For Remote and Rural Medicine
• Academic Surgical Unit

Faculty Size and Accomplishments

The school possesses a high- qualified pool of active research-oriented medical practitioners who adopt a multi-disciplinary approach in their research endeavours. The current faculty strength of the medical school is 69.

Industry Collaborations 

• North West England Faculty at the Royal College of general practitioners
• Collaboration with North-Western Deanery 
• Collaboration with Leadership in Applied Research and North-West coast
• East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Research Accomplishments

• Pioneered Into Novel Nanomedicine Field with Biospectroscopy
• Members of School Nominated For North-West  Coast Research and Innovation Awards

Areas of Expertise

• Optometry
• Neurosciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Public Health Education

Masters Courses Offered By the Department

2. School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

The research facilities and ultramodern laboratory equipment are built on modern lines and are suitable to meet the requirements of biomedical scientists and pharmacists. The pharmacy is also a part of the faculty of clinical and biomedical sciences and incorporates Global Research Culture in its operations. With an investment of over £10 million since 2007, the students gain access to modern facilities and they gain from the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills through direct patient engagement and public management. The School has four groups: Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, Physiology and Biomedical Sciences, and Pharmacy Practice, which are led by four newly appointed professors.

Research Units 

• JB Firth Building

Faculty Size and Accomplishments

• The faculty consists of 15 members.
• Professor Rob Forbes, the head of the Pharmaceutics, is an expert in stabilization and formation of proteins. Professor Francis Martin, the head of the Biosciences department, holds an elaborate research record in the field of cancer and neuro-generative disease.

Industry/University Collaborations 

• Collaborations with universities at India, China, and Brazil

Research Accomplishments

• Prescription drugs made by 3D printing
• Production of specifically tailored drugs for different individuals

Masters Courses Offered By the Department

Faculty of Science and Technology

3. School of Engineering

The engineering school at UCLan is one of the best schools at the Preston campus, and its modern and well-equipped research facilities and laboratory Engineering Innovation Centre (EIC) has been awarded many accolades for its high-quality, intense engineering and manufacturing units. The school offers courses that cover several fields such as Aerospace engineering, Mechanical and Chemical engineering. The curriculum and course structure is frequently upgraded with the latest tech-fields such as Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing, and Drone technology. It also offers professional placement facilities to its students.

Research Centers and Labs 

• Engineering Innovation Centre
• High-Performance Computing Lab
• Fire, Oil and Gas Lab
• Composites Lab
• Additive Manufacturing Lab

Faculty Size and Accomplishments

• The faculty strength at the engineering school is around 80.

Research Accomplishments

• The block contains two exclusive research centers with the latest ICT technology and digital technology platforms for nuclear, automotive, aerospace and food sectors:
  • Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology Research Centre
  • Applied Digital Signal and Image Processing Research
• UCLan energy group interlinks natural, engineering, and social sciences, and it encourages process re-engineering and restructuring through innovation adoption in various projects:
  • History of Nuclear Energy and Society project (HoNESt)
  • Horizon 2020 – the largest of the EU Innovation programs
• 83% of the school publications included in Research excellence framework, 2014

Areas of Expertise 

• Aerospace
• Civil
• Fire
• Construction and Surveying
• Electronics and Robots
• Mechanical
• Motor Sports

Masters Courses Offered By the Department

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4. School of Forensic and Applied Sciences

The school of forensic sciences has courses in diverse investigative fields such as forensic chemistry, counter-terrorism, geography, and forensic chemistry. The school has a unit for archaeological discoveries and excavations has extensive research facilities with the latest equipment. Key facilities include animal and human skeletal analysis facility, forensic anthropology, fire examination, vehicle examination, fingerprint analysis, and the like. 

Names of Labs

• Hydra Minerva Suite
• TRACES Field Research Facility
• Crime Scene Houses

Faculty Size and Accomplishments

• The school comprises 57 highly qualified and innovative, research-oriented faculty. The students gain access to real-time experience with training from operationally active faculty members. The university also conducts seminars addressed by several professionals and criminal justice practitioners.

Industry Collaborations

• Collaboration with Leadership in Applied Research and North-West coast
• Partnership with Lancashire constabulary to create a Lancashire Forensic Science Academy
• CSI shadowing

Areas of Expertise
Forensic investigation; Policing; Crime scene investigation; Biological sciences; Forensic chemistry; Counter-terrorism, Forensic genetics; Environmental Management; Geography; Forensic anthropology; Document analysis; Conservation genetics; Archaeology.

Masters Courses Offered By the Department

5. School of Physical Sciences and Computing

With its world-class facilities, the school provides a wide range of courses in the field of computing, astrophysics, mathematics, and cybersecurity to its students. The school also maintains an international student exchange network and it also places students in the USA, Australia, and Japan. Some of its courses such as the Chemistry, Physics course enjoy professional accreditation from the Royal School of Chemistry, IOP. The school is reputed for its global placement record.

Labs 

• Analytical Laboratories
• Chemistry Laboratories

Faculty Size and Accomplishments

• The school currently consists of around 56 faculty members.
• The school provides world-class teaching with its fast-paced and collaborative research endeavors. The school holds numerous collaborations in Astrophysics with NASA, and its faculty consists of several active scientists and researchers.

Research Accomplishments

• Made the first UK study to study the impact of PAHs on firefighters
• Researchers had proposed a concept of wayward field lines that had challenged the existing solar radiation models.

Areas of Expertise 

• Computing
• Chemistry
• Physics and Astronomy

Masters Courses Offered By the Department

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6. School of Psychology

The school of psychology seeks to establish a link between practical application and theoretical framework by developing partnerships with several enterprises. It offers specialization in diverse fields such as forensic, sports, and neuroscience. The school increasingly focuses on incremental skill development through the practical interface and fulfills this motive with extensive workshops and consultancy projects. The curriculum is in line with the content of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and enables students to acquire the Graduate Basis for Chartered membership Basis (GBC). There are 40 state-of-the-art laboratories at the school.

Labs 

• Clinical Health and Psychobiology Suite
• Core Lab
• Child Conservation Suite
• Social Interaction and Performance Science Lab

Faculty Size and Accomplishments
There are approximately 60 members in the faculty.
There are 3 research groups at the school -

• Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Group
• Forensic Psychology Research Group
• Quality of Life Research Group

The faculty focuses on imparting industry-specific skill sets in newly-emerging fields such as cognitive and behavioral sciences, child and adolescent psychology, and ecotherapy. A psychology professor from UCLan was recently recognized for his major contributions to aggression research with an award.

Research Accomplishments 

• Several internationally acclaimed publications from research staff in International academic journals

Areas of Expertise

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
• Forensic Psychology

Masters Courses Offered By the Department