Program Overview

Biophysics Graduate Program

The Biophysics Graduate Program at the University of California, Riverside is an interdepartmental program that involves faculty from various departments, including Biochemistry, Botany and Plant Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics. The program offers advanced degrees in Biophysics, with research areas spanning biological electron transfer, biological imaging, computational and mathematical modeling of biological systems, macromolecular structure determination, neuron biophysics, protein engineering, and spectroscopic methods.

Program Overview

The biophysics community at UC Riverside consists of over 30 faculty members from seven departments across three colleges, with research interests that overlap extensively. The program provides an innovative and flexible course of study, with opportunities for students to interact with faculty members in a supportive mentoring environment. Students can contribute original research in cutting-edge applications of physical methods to understanding life processes over a range of scales.

Research Areas

The research programs of the participating faculty can be grouped into four broad areas:

• Molecular biophysics, including physical methods for elucidation of biomolecular structure, single-molecule methods, spectroscopic methods, computational modeling, biological electron transfer, protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions, and biomolecular dynamics.
• Cellular biophysics, including studies of cell signaling, computer modeling and simulation of biomolecular recognition, cell-cell interactions, membrane biosynthesis and trafficking, folding and assembly of lipoproteins, biophysics of cell division, development and application of biosensors, functional proteomics, single-cell bioanalytical methods, and theoretical modeling of biological systems.
• Organismal biophysics, including whole-animal bioenergetics and metabolism, imaging, exercise physiology and biophysics of locomotion, stress response, dynamics of temperature regulation, circadian clock studies, imaging methodologies, and neural networks and sensory response.
• Systems biophysics, including studies of community ecology, energy input/output/distribution in ecosystems, response of individual organisms and populations to changes in energy flux, biogeochemical cycling of water and nutrients, physics of biodefense mechanisms, species distribution along environmental gradients, and computer modeling of energy flux and stress response in ecosystems.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Biophysics Graduate Program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited 4-year college or university with an academic record that satisfies the standards established by the Graduate Division of UC Riverside.
• Have a degree in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or a related field.
• Complete coursework in:
  • Biochemistry: a minimum of one year of introductory biochemistry, including laboratory.
  • Biology: a minimum of one year of introductory biology, including laboratory.
  • Chemistry: a minimum of one year each of introductory and organic chemistry, including laboratories.
  • Mathematics: a minimum of one year of calculus, plus one upper-division course.
  • Physics: a minimum of one year of introductory physics, including laboratory.
  • Upper-division coursework within the student's major.

Application Process

The Graduate Admissions Committee considers a candidate's entire application file when making admissions decisions. Applicants must submit:

• A completed electronic application form.
• A statement of purpose.
• Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work.
• Three letters of recommendation (two must be from faculty).
• The General Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required.
• For non-US citizens whose native language is not English, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Financial Support

All Ph.D. students in the Biophysics Graduate Program are fully supported financially through a combination of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.