St Petersburg University launches network master’s programme in Medicinal Chemistry along with Sirius University

By virtue of this partnership, students at Sirius University will have access to the experimental facilities of the two universities at once. They will also be able to study for a whole semester at St Petersburg University, under the best specialists in the field, and to write their master’s thesis under the guidance of the University’s research supervisors.

St Petersburg University has developed a top-ranking school of classical organic chemistry, with its own world-class research and teaching traditions, and without a grounding in organic chemistry, it is impossible to study medicinal chemistry. In addition, the University has recently established the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, which is endowed with experimental facilities that are unique in our country. This makes it possible to both synthesise new drug candidates and to conduct biological testing on them in one department. Master’s students will also be able to use these facilities in their research.

Applications will be accepted for the master’s programme in Medicinal Chemistry until 29 June on the University website. The admissions process includes an exam in the area of specialisation and an interview. This master’s programme is free of charge, and the scholarship is one of the highest in the country, from 20,000 to 40,000 roubles.

Sirius, as a new type of university, focuses on the innovative and commercial potential of the drugs that are developed. Students will therefore receive the essential set of competencies that they will need from experts in the industry. The leading companies in the field of drug development — Biocad, Vertex, ChemRar and R-Pharm — are partners of this master’s programme. Thus, students will perform practical tasks, and this will enable them, by the time that they have finished their studies, to put together a portfolio of the projects that they have completed.

The combination of traditional academic skills and some innovative practices will prepare students for the complex and competitive market that they will be working in. This programme will also make it possible to create a skilled pool of researchers of a new generation for the pharmaceutical industry of the future.

Mikhail Krasavin, Doctor of Chemistry, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry of St Petersburg University

Students will spend their first semester in the programme at St Petersburg University, where they will receive in-depth knowledge and practical skills in the fields of organic and medicinal chemistry, and also in biology. During the second and third semesters, the University professors will go to Sirius, where they will join forces with the academic staff of Sirius University and experts from high-technology companies.

Students themselves will be able to choose at which university they would like to complete their graduation project. In any case, their mentors will be leading scientists, and the young researchers will end up in a superior research team. Those who choose Sirius will take part in one of the projects developing drugs based on small molecules.