Biochemistry is the use of molecular methods to investigate, explain and manipulate biological processes. The study of life at the molecular level continues to undergo dynamic expansion, leading to ever-increasing insights into topics as various as the origin of life, the nature of disease and the development of individual organisms. The Biochemistry Department in Oxford is one of the largest in Europe, and is subdivided into the following research areas: Cell Biology; Development and Genetics; Chromosomal and RNA Biology; Infection and Disease Processes; Microbiology and Systems Biology; and Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics. The department is extremely active in research, with about 300 postgraduate students and research staff.