Infection and Immunity

Infection and immunity sits at the heart of some of the most important questions in contemporary biomedicine. How do pathogens, whether bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, cause disease? How does the immune system detect and respond to infection?

Why do some people develop severe illness while others resist or recover quickly? And how can we design vaccines, antibiotics and immunotherapies that intervene effectively in these processes? The study of infection and immunity addresses all of these questions, drawing on microbiology, immunology, cell biology and genetics.

University College London offers this three-year full-time degree in one of the world's leading biomedical research environments. UCL's Division of Infection and Immunity is a centre of international significance, with research spanning HIV, tuberculosis, emerging viral threats and the cellular mechanisms of immune response. Studying this subject at UCL means engaging with a curriculum shaped by active research at the frontier of the field.

You will develop a thorough understanding of pathogen biology, including the molecular mechanisms of virulence, alongside a detailed knowledge of the immune system, covering both innate and adaptive immunity, inflammation and the regulation of immune responses. You will also develop practical laboratory skills in microbiology and immunology, and the analytical and research skills to engage with the primary scientific literature critically.

The discipline trains rigorous scientific thinking, experimental competence and the ability to engage with rapidly evolving knowledge in a field where new discoveries have direct relevance to public health and medicine.

Graduates pursue careers in biomedical research, public health, pharmaceutical and vaccine development, clinical laboratory science, science communication, health policy and academic research. Many go on to postgraduate study, including doctoral research in infectious disease, immunology or microbiology, which remains the primary route into academic and senior industrial research positions in this field.