About Biology: 

Biology is the scientific exploration of the vast and diverse world of living organisms; simply put, it is the study of life. Today, biological research, worldwide, extends from the microscopic scale of the molecules and cells that make up organisms to the global scale of the entire living planet. The study of biology not only solves puzzles about ourselves and about the millions of other organisms with whom we share this planet Earth, but also provides us with solutions to many problems facing our civilization from human diseases to loss of biodiversity and environmental quality to providing us with the much needed resources taking into account environmental problems that this may cause.

The Department of Biology was one of the first departments formed in the College of Science at its establishment in 1986. The department started by offering a B.Sc. degree in Biology, later this was considered old-fashioned and out-dated and does not satisfy the current advances in the field. It was therefore decided to replace the old B.Sc. in Biology with two B.Sc. degree plans, so currently the department offers a B.Sc. degree in two disciplines of Biological Sciences: B.Sc. in Biotechnology and B.Sc. in Environmental Biology. The department also offers two M.Sc. degrees; M.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc degree in Environmental Science, to which other departments at SQU contribute. The department also offers PhD degree in Biology which is basically a research programme in one of the fields of Biological Sciences.

Besides teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, the department also offers service courses to students from the Colleges of Agriculture, Education and Medicine and continues to provide leadership in biological research in the Sultanate.

The department offers a range of course from basic biology courses intended as general courses for non-specialized students to advanced specialized courses in various biology disciplines. The department has several state-of-the-art student and research laboratories.

The Department of Biology is committed to teaching modern biological sciences as well as to carrying out quality research. The faculty members and supporting technical staff are trained in various disciplines of biology, with emphasis on experimental and environmental biology.

Upon successful completion of their degrees, undergraduate and graduate students from the Department of Biology continue to serve Oman by working in either the public or private sectors.

Heads of Department of Biology, Chronological Listing
Prof Michael Delany                     1986 – 1987
Prof Charles HilaryFry                  1987 – 1993
Prof Reginald Victor                     1993 – 2000
Dr Derek Roberts                          2000 – 2002
Prof Abdelkadir Elshafie              2002 – 2006
Prof Saif Al Bahry                          2006 – 2010
Dr Elsadig Eltayeb                         2010 – 2016
Dr Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi        2016 – 2022

Prof. Raeid Abed                           2022- Date


Vision

The department of Biology aspires to maintain its standing as a center of excellence for training in Biology and applied Biology in our sub-region. The department prepares students for a competitive and challenging world. We strive to contribute to a biologically literate society through teaching (with classrooms, labs, and research), scholarship, and service.


Mission

The department of Biology mission is to achieve excellence in the area of Biological l science, research and community service by promoting the principles of scientific analysis and creative thinking, and supporting the scientific development of Oman. The department provides rigorous preparation of citizens whose career paths require expertise in Biology. The department is dedicated to rigorous standards for content knowledge, communication skills, research quality, and professional behavior. The mission is to educate the students for research to meet the global environmental issues through Biological education. Department is committed to consolidate funding for research and development of infrastructure facilities.


 

HoD Message

 

Welcome to the Department of Biology, the home of the Biotechnology and Environmental Biology degree plans. Formerly the department offered degree plan in Biology which has now been replaced with Biotechnology and another degree in Environmental Biology has also been introduced. Faculty members in the Department of Biology show diverse specializations covering all major fields of Biology such as Animal, Plant, Microbial and Cell Biology. Various courses are offered in the fields of Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, Plant and Animal science, Biochemistry, Ecology and Environmental Science. We also do service teaching for other college programs that require

 

biology. It is important to mention that the department is actively engaged in research in all fields of Biological Sciences and offers MSc degrees in Biology as well as Environmental Science and also PhD in Biology programs. All three postgraduate programs are very active at the moment. You are welcome to browse our website for more information or contact us for details.

 

 

Raed (1)

 

Raeid Abed, Professor (HoD)

 

 


Contact Us

Department of Biology
College of Science
Sultan Qaboos University
PO Box 36, Al Khoud 123
Sultanate of Oman
Phone: (+968) 2414 6873/ 6889