Is Physics of Life and Health the study for me?

The programme is for students interested in one or more of the following subjects:

• the study of physical processes in the human body, organs, cells and macromolecules;
• the use of advanced biophysical methods to study macromolecules at the single-molecule level and to study biological processes down to femtosecond timescales;
• the development and improvement of technology for medical diagnostics and therapy;
• the interaction of light and/or radiation with cells and tissues (biomedical photonics);
• the manipulation of tissues and cells by light or radiation to improve diagnosis and monitoring

Can I join the programme?

You can if you:

• have a profound knowledge of physics (mechanics, electricity, magnetism, optics, quantum mechanics) and mathematics (calculus, linear algebra, partial differential equations, statistics)
• enjoy doing research in a multidisciplinary environment
• can quickly absorb and integrate biological and physics concepts

What does Physics of Life and Health offer me?

This Master's track offers the chance to reflect on research topics such as:

• the quest for quantitative functional monitoring and imaging of living tissue
• working in multidisciplinary research teams with physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers and medical professionals
• theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in biomedical imaging, molecular and cellular biophysics and photonics
• research and development of new methods for diagnosis and monitoring, such as optical coherence tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and of new methods for research in molecular and cellular biophysics, such as single-molecule fluorescence, optical tweezers, stimulated emission depletion microscopy and femtosecond spectroscopy

This track can become a basis for a career in clinical physics, biomedical physics or biophysics in a research or hospital environment.

The programme is firmly embedded in the research of the Biomedical Engineering & Physics department of the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam (AMC-UvA), the Physics Department of VU University Amsterdam, and the Physics & Medical Technology Department of the VU Medical Center. All research groups are working in multidisciplinary teams with clinical end experimental groups throughout the world.

Professional specialization within the Master’s programme

In general, Master’s students are trained to become independent researchers. But at the UvA Faculty of Science you can also choose to complete your Master’s programme with a professional specialization, that focuses on other skills than doing research.

 There are three professional specializations available:

• Science Communication (in Dutch)
• Teaching (in Dutch)
• Management, Policy Analysis & Entrepreneurship.