Program Overview

Department of Cell Biology and Physiology

The Department of Cell Biology and Physiology offers a graduate program designed to prepare students for a research and/or teaching career with concentrations in cell biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, renal biology, and/or reproductive biology. The program emphasizes research and the skills and knowledge required to perform and communicate the results of research.

Graduate Programs

The department offers the following graduate programs:

• Cell Biology and Anatomy
  • Admission
  • Curriculum
  • Guidelines
  • Graduate Students
• Molecular and Integrative Physiology
• Neuroscience Program

Cell Biology and Anatomy Graduate Program

The Cell Biology and Anatomy Graduate Program is designed to prepare students for a research and/or teaching career. The program emphasizes research and the skills and knowledge required to perform and communicate the results of research. The course of study in the Department is broadly based, and the research opportunities in the department are widely varied and will accommodate many interests.

Program Expectations

During their graduate career, students in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology will fulfill the following expectations:

• Become knowledgeable in the areas of study included in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Biomedical Sciences (IGPBS) core curriculum: cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and integrated systems level biology.
• Obtain in-depth and up-to-date expertise in a specialized area of knowledge that is appropriate for the field of their dissertation research project.
• Make original and high-quality contributions to the scientific literature in their chosen research field.
• Become familiar with the scientific literature through general and specialized journals in biological research, and develop the ability to critically evaluate the original research in their own and related fields.
• Become skilled in organizing and communicating information in oral presentations, and respond to critical questioning.
• Develop clarity, conciseness, and precision in writing, to aid in grant application writing and publication of their original research results.
• Learn how to ask incisive scientific questions and gain experience in the design, performance, and interpretation of laboratory experiments and observations.
• Gain familiarity with the preparation and writing of grant applications.
• Prepare for the teaching as well as the research aspects of an academic career.
• Obtain instruction in research skills and responsible scholarship.

Graduate Studies Committee

The Graduate Studies Committee consists of:

• Pamela Tran, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Graduate Education Director
• Julie Christianson, Ph.D.
• Dianne Durham, Ph.D.
• Irfan Saadi, Ph.D.