Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's MemBioMed (From Membrane Biology to Neuroscience and Experimental Medicine)

The International MemBioMed Master’s programme in “From Membrane Biology to Neuroscience and Experimental Medicine” is a high-quality, fully integrated degree emphasising multidisciplinary research on biomembranes. The two-year programme is a collaboration between three prestigious universities: Université Côte d'Azur (UniCA, France), University of Genoa (UniGe, Italy), and University of Osnabrück (UOS, Germany). The complementary strengths of these institutions—spanning teaching expertise, academic resources, cutting-edge research centres, and advanced technological platforms—ensure comprehensive and dynamic training in membrane biology. The curriculum integrates the latest scientific advancements in biomembranes, offering students engaging research opportunities through collaborative projects and partnerships with industry. It includes hands-on internships to develop practical expertise and interdisciplinary skills as well as workshops and thematic schools addressing emerging technologies and key challenges in the field. The first semester at UniCA (Nice) will provide the students with the foundation on the structure and function of biological membranes. The second semester at UniGe (Genoa) will focus on a comprehensive understanding of biomembrane-related pathologies and neurological functions. The third semester at UOS (Osnabrück) will focus on preparing the students for their Master's theses by providing methodological specialisation in cellular nanoanalytics to interrogate molecular processes in or at biomembranes with the highest spatial and temporal resolution. In the fourth semester, students will work exclusively on their Master's projects and write their Master's theses in one of the partner institutions' research laboratories or industrial-associated structures. To complement the traditional theoretical and practical modules, and to ensure smooth transitions between the three universities, orientation events such as an integration week and a summer school have been included in the academic programme. These activities have been designed to enrich the traditional modules with a fuller range of notions and techniques to better apprehend biomembrane-related projects in both fundamental and applied research contexts, for networking with relevant scientific communities from academia and industry, and to provide soft skills that help the students to succeed in more competitive and diversified working environments.  MemBioMed’s overall aim is to provide its trainees with a comprehensive education that will significantly enhance their career perspectives in the academic or private sector by enabling them to meet future challenges in a variety of specialised fields, from drug development and nanomedicine to membrane engineering and neurophysiology.