There are four PhD programs and one dual MD/PhD program associated with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.
Overview Heading link
The over-arching goal of the graduate program in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics is to train and mentor our PhD students so that our alumni are prepared to become critical thinkers, creative innovators and leaders in science, and succeed in their subsequent career paths in academia as well as industry. Our department offers a diverse array of research opportunities in the following areas so that potential PhD students can choose mentors and projects which best align with their scientific interests and career goals. Some of our focus areas include:
- Cancer Biology
- Genomics and Computational Biology
- Gene regulation, Genome Maintenance and Epigenetics
- Mechanisms of Neurological Disease
- Stem Cells and Developmental Biology
- Signal Transduction and Cell Cycle Control
- Protein Engineering, Drug Design and Structural Biology
- Infection, Inflammation and Immunity
We also use a wide variety of state-of-the art molecular and cellular approaches as well as organisms in our department to address fundamental questions in molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry and molecular genetics – during healthy biological processes as well as during disease states. The extraordinary diversity of research areas in our department is quite unique and offers our PhD students broad exposure to basic and translational biomedical research.
Our student seminars, departmental seminars and student activities, allow for frequent social and intellectual interactions among our students, resulting in a community of peers with different areas of expertise and who help each other grow. If you are passionate about biomedical research and interested in foundational cutting-edge questions in the life sciences, then our department could be ideally suited for you.
PhD programs associated with the department Heading link
It is important to us that the training of PhD students is individualized to suit each student’s needs which is why PhD students can join our departmental via several PhD graduate programs at our institution. Currently, PhD students in our department belong to the following programs.
Potential PhD applicants who are interested in joining our department but have not yet decided which formal PhD program is the best fit for them, can reach out to our Directors of graduate Studies (Dr. Nava Segev or Dr. Gaponenko) our Department Head (Dr. Jalees Rehman) or any individual faculty mentor in our department. Each of these PhD programs has their own admissions and coursework requirements, which can be reviewed by visiting their respective webpages.
Learn more about each program Heading link
Faculty engagement in the training of Graduate, Undergraduate, and Postdoctoral Fellows Heading link
Our faculty members are actively engaged in the following activities:
- Training Graduate students and Postdoctoral Fellows through various training grants at UIC, including:
- T32 Training Program in Lung Biology and Pathobiology [NIH; NHLBI]
Project PI: Asrar Malik; Participating BMG mentors: Hay, Kuchay, Merrill, Rehman, Raychaudhuri & Tyner - IRACDA K12: Chicago ARea Excellence in Education & Research (CAREER) Program [NIH; NIGMS]
Program PI’s: Larisa Nonn, Joanna Burdette; Participating BMG mentors: Hay, Rehman & Raychaudhuri
- T32 Training Program in Lung Biology and Pathobiology [NIH; NHLBI]
- Training Undergraduate students through Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) program.