Master in Bioengineering | Miguel Ferreiro

What stands out about the programme?

I've learned a ton during the Master's Degree. The professors are experts in their fields and they teach the subjects really well. Also, having a business focus is a plus in terms of entering the labour market. But what stands out the most from the master's degree is the countless hours spent doing hands-on work. Starting right from the first year, we use the laboratory practically every day and that helps you become at ease and gain experience that is difficult to acquire. In addition, when doing the Master Thesis, we work with the resources from the programme and the departments quite a lot. That's why I think that what sets this programme apart from other ones is the number of hours spent on laboratory and research work.

Why did you decide to do this Master's Degree?

My undergraduate degree is in Biology and, for better or for worse, I was interested in many of its branches. Since it was clear to me that I preferred the area most aimed towards clinical research or business, this Master's Degree was presented to me as an ideal option as it addresses many disciplines yet, without closing any doors or pigeonholing myself, it would allow me become familiar with many fields and adequately train in them.

What subjects and laboratory work did you like the most?

The subject that I liked the most was Bioinformatics. However, I also appreciated others such as Downstream, where you learn a lot about a specific topic, and those where less-common topics are approached in a broader way, such as in Project Management or Proteomics, Genomics, and HTS.

A laboratory experience that stands out was Biomaterials as it was quite different from the others and allowed us to discover new technology like the design of 3D printing.

What is your Master Thesis about?

My Master Thesis consists of developing a tool that makes it possible to superimpose and represent proteins from the same family so they can be analysed together. It's an original idea as we were inspired by star maps for the design of the representation, and the result is similar to those maps. It falls within the Bioinformatics branch, so I've been using the IQS server to carry out the project over this past year, in addition to frequent collaborations with my Master Thesis advisor.

What's your personal assessment?

Over the past year I was able to do an outside internship with a company. During that period, I realized that much of what I had learned in the master's programme could be applied and it gave me greater ease and confidence when dealing with different topics in the internship.

I would also say that it's a demanding master's degree for which you must put in hard work. If you're not organized, it can be very intense at times.

What do you think the master's degree has brought you personally and professionally?

On a personal level, I made great friends in the programme. On a professional level, I have acquired a solid background in a large number of disciplines, which has helped me to choose the area that I want to aim for in my professional and academic future. Also, being able to combine the last year with an outside internship enabled me to gain a lot of experience during this period.

What advice would you give to a future student?

It's a great option if you want to end up with solid, cross-cutting knowledge in many fields, but you have to be prepared and organized for work every day. In addition, the master's degree offers internship and study abroad opportunities. My advice is to take advantage of them whenever possible!