The San Marcos University (UNMSM) was founded on May 12, 1551, and later, on August 28, 1861 the Mathematics Natural and Sciences Faculty was created. The Faculty of Biological Sciences of the San Marcos University includes five departments, such as Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Microbiology, Botany, Zoology and Hydrobiology & Fishery. It has 106 investigators and specialized laboratories in each of these disciplines.

The Graduate School of the UNMSM has 20 Units in five areas: Area of Basic Sciences, Area of Medicine and Health Sciences, Area of Law, Economic, Administrative and Countable Sciences, Area of Engineerings and Area of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Graduate Unit of the Biological Sciences Faculty has a M. Sc. Programme in Aquatic Resources and a Ph.D. Programme in Biological Sciences, with a strong component of marine sciences.

The Faculty of Biological Sciences also includes the Antonio Raimondi Institute of Biological Sciences (ICBAR), which develops four main investigation lines: Biodiversity of Aquatic Ecosystems; Bioactive Principles and Biodegradation; Ecology of Communities; and Production and Management of Hydrobiological Resources.

The Department of Hydrobiology and Fishery has, as principal lines, the marine ecology and tropical pisciculture. The Marine Ecology laboratory, with Prof. Dr. Juan Tarazona at the head, is dedicated to marine biodiversity and shallow areas ecology investigations, and particularly the biological impact of EN events, a topic which developed as a cooperative programme with the AWI, 10 years ago. Products of that cooperation are many scientific articles and reviews about the Peruvian coastal upwelling ecosystem, and edited books on the impact of El Niño events.

Now the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the San Marcos University constitutes the technical center of a monitoring network of “El Niño” biological impact (RIBEN). This network functions in 7 Latin America countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama). In Peru, it joins 16 research institutions and develops research work in diverse biological areas. For this, it counts with professors, researchers and thesis students of pre and post grade, who develop investigations about El Niño impacts.

The UNMSM has also the Natural History Museum Javier Prado, in which more than 90% of the scientific collections on Peruvian flora and fauna are hosted. The Computer Centre and the Central Library are recently relocated in the University Campus, they have modern buildings, and they are equipped with computers of the last generation.

Homepage:

www.unmsm.edu.pe