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SBIO-PHD - Structural Biology (PhD)
Overview
Program Overview
The graduate program in Structural Biology is intended to prepare students for careers as independent investigators in cell and molecular biology. The principal requirement of a Ph.D. degree is the completion of research constituting an original and significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge. It is a training in a major with connections to biophysics (e.g., physics, chemistry, or biology, with a quantitative background equivalent to that of an undergraduate physics or chemistry major at Stanford).
Current topics of research in the department lie in the areas of gene expression; theoretical, crystallographic, and genetic analysis of protein structure; and cell-cell interaction. See Stanford's School of Medicine website for further information.
Admission
Applicants to the program should have a bachelor's degree and should have completed at least a year of coursework in biology, mathematics, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and physics. Applications must be received by the department before December 15 for notification by April 15. Application to the National Science Foundation for fellowship support is also encouraged. Prospective applicants should contact the Department of Structural Biology for further information. GRE general score is optional and GRE subject score is not required.
It is recommend that prospective applicants have completed the following courses (or their equivalent) prior to applying:
UNITS | ||
|---|---|---|
Organic Polyfunctional Compounds | 3 | |
Foundations of Physical Chemistry | 4 | |
Physical Chemistry II | 3 | |
Physical Chemistry III | 3 | |
Applied Biochemistry | 2 | |
Director of Graduate Studies
Program Policies
External Credit Policies
The Structural Biology department will allow up to the University limit of 45 units of graduate level course work to apply towards department degree requirements.
Advising Expectations
For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the "Graduate Advising" section of this bulletin.
Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
The emphasis of research in the department is on understanding fundamental cellular processes in terms of the structure and function of biological macromolecules and their assemblies. Techniques used include standard methods of biochemistry, cell culture, single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, genetic engineering, and three dimensional structure determination by x-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron microscopy, coupled with the development of computational methods.