Graduate Programs
The Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology offers a graduate program for the Master of Science degree. This ~1.5 year MS program is designed to prepare students for careers in research, teaching, biotechnology, or further advanced studies in health and life sciences. Our pool of faculty represents diverse research interests spanning biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, and structural biology. Students also have the opportunity to perform research with interested faculty from other Departments as well as colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory and through internships with local biotechnology firms.
The Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Graduate Program offers a multidisciplinary course of study leading to the Ph.D. degree. Diverse biological systems of study from plants to humans are pursued in MCB research laboratories. These systems are used to investigate a variety of biological topics including: Cancer, Infectious Disease, Gene Expression, Structural Biology, Neurobiology, DNA Replication, Development, Immune Response, Cell Cycle, Protein Trafficking, Signal Transduction, and Biological Membranes.
The MCB Program provides students with the opportunity to select an academic program in one of three specializations: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Cellular and Developmental Biology, or Immunology and Pathology. The goal of this approach is to provide the student with the widest range of research possibilities.With the recent sequencing of the human genome, the race is on to determine the structure and function of the thousands of protein molecules that drive biological processes. The Program in Biochemistry and Structural Biology (BSB) provides graduate students with the training and tools to determine the structure and address the function and mechanism of proteins, DNA, RNA, membrane lipids, carbohydrates and the hundreds of other molecules in cells. A major focus is on how interactions between these molecules regulate cell function and development. The Program offers a range of courses, colloquia, seminars and research in the fields of biochemistry and structural biology. The interdisciplinary nature of the Program draws faculty from the Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacological Sciences, and Physiology and Biophysics. This offers a wide array of research areas from which incoming students can choose.
Stony Brook provides a unique setting for studies in biochemistry and structural biology. With close ties to Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook can take advantage of world-class research facilities at the National Synchrotron Light Source. In addition, several of the members of the BSB graduate program are research scientists in the Biology Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This is an exciting and historical time for the biological sciences. Research in the fields of biochemistry and structural biology promises to lead the way in understanding life on the molecular level. We welcome your interest in our Program.Diversity is a major strength of the Genetics Program. Training is truly inter-institutional and is available in three different types of scientific environments. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a world-renowned, free-standing biological research institution that has played a major role in the development of modern genetics and molecular biology. Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of several large national research laboratories sponsored by the United States Department of Energy and carries out basic and applied research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences.
The University at Stony Brook is a full campus of the State University of New York and is particularly well-known for its strong research programs in the biological and physical sciences. This diversity is also reflected in the variety of research topics and experimental systems available to our graduate students. Thesis research projects are available in over 100 different laboratories studying a variety of topics including: chromosome structure and function; transposable elements; DNA replication; cell cycle control; signal transduction; regulation of transcription and RNA splicing; the molecular genetics of cancer; behavioral genetics; developmental genetics; bacterial and viral pathogenesis; population genetics; and molecular evolution. The genetic systems employed in these studies include vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, yeasts, cellular slime molds, bacteria, and prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses.