Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Research in our department ranges from chemical biology to molecular endocrinology, with particular emphasis on structural biology, biophysics, and RNA biochemistry. Our department follows the University of Chicago tradition of intellectual rigor and collaborative style. Its interdisciplinary nature is further accentuated by the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics and the Institute for Molecular Pediatric Sciences which brings together experimentalists, theoreticians, and computational scientists, fostering a culture of exchange and collaboration across the physical and biological science disciplines and among diverse laboratories. We also have close ties to nearby Argonne National Laboratories.
Our graduate curriculum equips students with a broad understanding of current questions in biophysics and biochemistry and with the tools to address these questions at the molecular level. Entering Ph.D. students take required courses in protein molecular function and structure, cellular and molecular biology. Additional courses are chosen from the department's curriculum, such as nucleic acids structure and function and molecular biophysics: theory and applications, or from the broad variety of courses offered by other units in the Molecular Biosciences cluster. Prior to selecting a mentor for dissertation research, students engage in rotations in the laboratories of at least two faculty. These enable students to broaden their research horizons and to discover a laboratory that suits their research interests. Students generally begin full time thesis research at the beginning of their second year. The program is flexible and can be modified depending on the student's needs and background.