A typical cell has three main parts: the cell membrane, the cytoplasm, and the nucleus. The cell membrane is the outer layer, the inner layer holds the nucleus which acts as its brain, and between the two is the cytoplasm. For Dijon Gurmani, it’s the surface that holds the most intrigue.
“The reason I chose this master’s is because I want to get more knowledge about the surface of a cell,” says Gurmani, a master’s student at Malmö University. “The knowledge of the surface of a cell is just as important as the inside of a cell.”
Gurmani is part of the Department of Biomedical Science’s two-year master’s programme, Biomedical Surface Science – a programme that bridges biomedicine and surface chemistry to offer a perspective rarely found in traditional science degrees.
“Because I have a background as a biomedical scientist, my area is mostly biology,” Gurmani says. “But this master’s programme has also given me a deep insight into chemistry and even physics, which allows me to get a deeper understanding of the surface and behaviour of the cell.”
Malmö University is part of the Medicon Valley Alliance. Source: Malmö University
The programme explores the integration of surface chemistry across cell biology, immunology, molecular biology, and nanotechnology — both in theory and practice. It’s a multidisciplinary, multi-delivery approach designed to meet the demands of the life science sector.
As a graduate, you’ll emerge with a skill set tailored for academic research, healthcare, and industry roles, locally and internationally. That includes roles at one of over 330 partners of Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA). This unique cross-border network brings together universities, hospitals, biotech and pharma companies, CROs, CDMOs, science parks and public sector organisations across Southern Sweden and Eastern Denmark.
As the programme is delivered in close collaboration with regional industry partners, it can and does offer a current and practical lens on research and development in biomedical technology. This industry connection, paired with a faculty of leading researchers, ensures your learning is both rigorous and relevant.
What happens within campus is just as exciting. Students get to work at the university’s Biofilms Research Centre for Biointerfaces, where you conduct hands-on experiments in areas such as biobarriers and pharmaceutical design, biofilms at interfaces, and smart material at interfaces. Here, collaboration is key as you work with researchers from various fields, including chemistry, biochemistry, materials science, cell and molecular biology, mathematics, and microbiology, sharing different ideas to come up with the best one.
And within classrooms, students like Gurmani describe the experience as “incredible.” “My classmates come from so many different backgrounds,” he says. “Some have degrees in lab science or pharmacology, and we even have students who are chemists and medical doctors. It is a great opportunity to help each other out, and it really creates a strong sense of community in the classroom.”
Work on your research at the Biofilms Research Centre for Biointerfaces located on campus. Source: Malmö University
Beyond the lab and lecture hall, the setting is as stimulating as it is liveable. Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden, with residents from around 180 countries. Previously known to have the largest shipyards in the world, the city is now bustling with rich cultural experiences. You can revisit the old and embrace the new by checking out places like the Dutch-Renaissance buildings of Gamla Staden or the modern Turning Torso skyscraper. The city also offers convenient access to and from Copenhagen.
“Malmö is a beautiful city with so many different cultures,” Gurmani says. “I really like how accessible everything is, since it is easy to get around by bike and bus. You can easily go from the old part of the city to the more modern parts, like Västra Hamnen. Sweden itself is also a very welcoming and well-organised country, which has made it a great place to study.”
Follow Malmö University on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
