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Professors
Michael Adams, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience/Entomology)
James Baldwin, Ph.D. (Nematology)
Nancy Beckage, Ph.D. (Entomology/Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Darleen DeMason, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Brian Federici, Ph.D. (Entomology)
Dennis Focht, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Sarjeet S. Gill, Ph.D.
(Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Leah Haimo, Ph.D. (Biology)
Glenn Hatton, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Robert Heath, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Helen Henry, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Anthony H.C. Huang, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Bradley Hyman, Ph.D. (Biology)
Noel T. Keen, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Elizabeth M. Lord, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Richard Luben, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Thomas Miller, Ph.D. (Entomology)
Anthony Norman, Ph.D. (Biochemistry/Biomedical Sciences)
Eugene Nothnagel, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Neil Schiller, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Stephen Spindler, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Daniel Straus, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Prudence Talbot, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Raphael Zidovetzki, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Professors Emeriti
Salomon Bartnicki-Garcia, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Irwin Sherman, Ph.D. (Biology)
Associate Professors
Peter Atkinson, Ph.D. (Entomology)
Julia Bailey-Serres, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Elizabeth Bray, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Richard Cardullo, Ph.D. (Biology)
Scott Currie, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
David Eastmond, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Andrew Grosovsky, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Howard Judelson, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Monica Madore, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Walter Metzner, Ph.D. (Biology)
Frances Sladek, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Linda Walling, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Assistant Professors
Alan D. Agulnick, Ph.D. (Biology)
Margarita Currás-Collazo, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Isgouhi Kaloshian, Ph.D. (Nematology)
Sheri J. Lillard, Ph.D. (Chemistry)
Manuela Martins-Green, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Dmitri Mazlov, Ph.D. (Biology)
A.L.N. Rao, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Patricia Springer, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Zhenbiao Yang, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)

 The Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program is an interdepartmental program offering Master of Science and doctoral degrees to students seeking advanced training in these disciplines. The program focuses on the bridge between basic and applied research and on the interface between cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Participating faculty are drawn from numerous biological sciences departments whose research interests in cell, molecular, and developmental biology span biomedical to agricultural problems, and students in the program benefit from unique training opportunities.

Students seeking admission into the program should meet all general requirements of the Graduate Division as printed in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog. Applicants should have adequate undergraduate course work in chemistry (two years), physics (one year), calculus (one year), statistics (one course), biochemistry (one course), and biology (two years, including a course in genetics and two courses among cell, molecular, or developmental biology). Applicants with strong academic records but with deficiencies in preparation for graduate training may be admitted and will need to rectify undergraduate deficiencies early in the first two years of residence. Applicants must submit Graduate Record Examination test scores for the General Exam (verbal, quantitative and analytical).

GRADUATE PROGRAM

The program offers an M.S. degree, Plan I (thesis), and a Ph.D. degree. Students enrolled in either degree program are expected to complete the following core of course work in cell, molecular, and developmental biology:

1. One graduate-level course in cell biology (BIOL 200A, BPSC 237, or NRSC 200A/PSYC 200A)
2. One graduate-level course in molecular biology (BIOL 200B, BCH 211, BPSC 231/BCH 231, BMSC 202, or NRSC 200B/PSYC 200B)
3. One graduate-level course in developmental biology (BIOL 222, BPSC 232/BIOL 232, or ENTM 226).

Master's Degree

Master's students will complete core course work in cell, molecular, and developmental biology; enroll in at least one graduate seminar course in a specialized area in one of these fields; enroll in the interdepartmental colloquium series in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology; and undertake a research project leading to a thesis. Each student must complete 36 units of course work, of which at least 24 units must be in the graduate series (200 level) in the biological sciences. No more than 12 units in the 290 series can be taken to fulfill the 24-unit requirement. Candidates for the M.S. degree must defend their thesis at a public oral presentation.

Doctoral Degree

Students will enroll in one graduate course in cell, molecular, and developmental biology, in addition to the three core courses indicated in the description for the graduate program. Students will enroll in graduate seminar courses in at least two areas among cell, molecular, or developmental biology and in the interdepartmental colloquium series in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. Each candidate will undertake a research project leading to a dissertation, and will fulfill a two-quarter teaching requirement. Thirty-six units of 100- or 200-series courses must be taken, of which at least 24 units must be in the graduate series (200 level) in the biological sciences. A minimum of 16 units of course work not in the 290 series must be completed to fulfill the requirements for 24 units of graduate course work.

Doctoral students are advanced to candidacy following successful completion of written and oral qualifying examinations. Students write a proposal detailing the rationale, specific aims, and approaches to be undertaken for their proposed dissertation research prior to taking the oral qualifying examination. Ph.D. candidates must successfully defend their dissertation research in a public oral presentation.

Career Opportunities

There is a high demand in industry and academia for scientists with training in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Students matriculating from the program are well trained in this field and successfully obtain positions in biotechnology, including biomedical and agricultural industries, and at colleges and universities nationwide.

The normative time to complete the master's degree is two years and the doctoral degree five years.