HISTORY | Department BBCD

The study of Biology in Rome has ancient roots. It is worthwhile to mention here Giovanni Battista Grassi, with his research spanning from Zoology to Developmental Biology, from Epidemiology to Ecology. It was in this furrow that in July 2010, the Department of Biology and Biotechnologies was funded, upon the reorganisation of the old biological departments of Sapienza University of Rome (“Animal and Human Biology”, “Cellular and Developmental Biology”, “Genetics and Molecular Biology” and “Plant Biology”). The new Department took heir teaching and research aims forward, perfectly positioning itself within the cultural framework of the Faculty of Science. 

The Department takes the name of Charles Darwin, to affirm the modern evolutionary matrix, subtending and permeating almost every theoretical and experimental approaches in research and teaching. 
Within the Darwin Department many research lines are developed and integrated, which refer to the organisation and the functional analysis of biodiversity at different levels: molecular, cellular, systemic, organismic, populational and ecosystemic. Research includes the fundamental aspects of the main biological disciplines, including the biotechnological and applied aspects. The experimental approaches are largely interdisciplinary, as this is increasingly demanded by the complexity of biological problems and by the fast-running methodological innovation. 

To this aim, the co-existence of a vast array of skills in the various fields within the Department proves crucial.
The quality and variety of the existing disciplines in the Department allow a vast and highly qualified curriculum that is mostly focused on Biology and Biotechnologies, from Bachelor’s to Master’s degrees and PhD programmes, but also provide biology-related courses to other Departments’ programmes (belonging to the Faculties of Science and Medicine).

MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD

Our Department’s aim can be summarized well by the word ‘integration’. The Life Sciences are obviously paradigmatic of cultural diversity, spanning the whole diversity of life and a vast array of methodological approaches, which, together with scientists belonging to different areas of the department, offer great opportunities as well as exciting challenges. From the very foundation of the Department, our primary aim has thus been to progressively implement such an integration, regarded – rather than a goal to reach – as an ongoing process to cultivate and continuously keep alive.

The process is hampered by our logistic heritage, with the staff and the facilities operating in several different premises, however the awareness has grown through the years, also thanks to the commitment of my predecessors: the higher the level of integration, the closer we get to the yields of excellence that are in our potential.

Our students belonging to the Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and in Biotechnologies as well as the Master’s degrees, are a continuous stimulus for all of us to keep our whole work well-rooted into the history of Life Science and our arms projected forwards. Our Department being named after Charles Darwin proves our extensive awareness of the deep and pervasive role of Evolution for Life, and we do our best in order to transmit this message to all our students.

Finally, as the Director of this Department, I want to warmly thank all of its components, from the Administration to the librarians, from the technicians to the scientists/teachers, including all students, for easing a significant part of my work and for sharing with me the goal of making the Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin” a wonderful place to make and teach Science.

Director: Prof. Rodolfo Negri

Email:  rodolfo.negri@uniroma1.it