Doctoral Programme in Biosciences and Drug Research

The Doctoral Programme in Biosciences and Drug Research covers three major subjects: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Environmental and Marine Biology, alongside Drug Development and Pharmacy. Biochemical research focuses on structural bioinformatics, molecular interaction modelling, lipid and membrane biochemistry, lipid transfer proteins, and cyanobacterial peptide toxins. Cell biology research addresses cell stress, cell survival and death, cellular decision-making, cytoskeleton function, and the relationship between inflammation and tissue damage or regeneration. Environmental and marine biology research concentrates on coastal and archipelago ecosystems in the Baltic Sea, with work spanning marine biodiversity, benthic ecology, stress ecology, food web analysis, behavioural and evolutionary ecology, seabird ecology, and marine spatial planning. Pharmaceutical research centres on drug design and development, pharmaceutical technology, formulation, and manufacturing technologies including 3D printing, microfluidics, and nanotechnology. The four-year programme begins in January 2026 and is hosted at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland.