Brown University Graduate School
Division of Biology and Medicine
Posted 12.13.2007
Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry
Program Info
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Molecular_Biology/Grad_Program/
Areas of Research
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Molecular_Biology/faculty.html
Apply Online
https://apply.embark.com/Grad/Brown/66/
Program of Study
The Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry (MCB) is an interdisciplinary program, with faculty members drawn from the areas of biochemistry; molecular, cell, and developmental biology; neurobiology; pathology; pharmacology; chemistry; and medicine. Students rotate in different laboratories in the first year to sample various projects and experimental approaches. In addition to the MCB department, students may elect to complete their studies in the Center for Proteomics and Genomics or Center for Computational Molecular Biology. Advanced students participate in one semester of teaching as an assistant. Five years are generally required to complete the Ph.D. degree. The research interests of the faculty encompass a broad range of investigations at the molecular and cellular levels, using a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell types. Areas of current investigation in the MCB Department include gene expression and targeting, RNA functions (RNA splicing, microRNAs, and RNA editing), computational biology, genomics, proteomics, high-throughput method development, aging, developmental genetics, photosynthesis and bioenergetics, cell differentiation, mammalian genetics,organelle development, pattern formation, cellular and molecular immunology, receptors and signal transduction, and ultrastructural studies. To supplement research activities, the program provides regular opportunities for outside speakers, campus faculty members, and graduate students to give seminars on their current work.
Research Facilities
Graduate student research is conducted in faculty research laboratories, both on campus and at nearby affiliated hospitals and research buildings. In addition to the basic research equipment and facilities within each laboratory, major shared facilities include a computer graphics imaging and microscopic core facility with high-resolution transmission, several 24-node cluster computers, and scanning electron microscopes and laser-scanning confocal microscopes; a professionally staffed animal-care facility fully equipped for animal maintenance, large-animal surgery, and experimentation; a transgenic mouse core facility; a micro array core facility; typhoon digital imagers for radioactive, fluorescent, and chemiluminescent samples; an automated DNA sequencer; a fluorescence-activated cell sorter; a phosphoimager; a facility for histologic tissue examination, including frozen sections; a greenhouse; X-ray crystallographic instrumentation; a 600-MHz NMR spectroscope; a hybridoma laboratory; a 100-liter-capacity fermenter; and a molecular modeling center. Brown has a strategic partnership with MBL (Marine Biology Labs) at nearby Woods Hole to conduct high throughput sequencing. The fourteen-story Sciences Library houses approximately 4,000 current periodicals, 530,000 bound volumes, and study space for 300 students. A campuswide broadband communications network provides high-speed data communications on campus, and a very high-speed connection to the Internet backbone is maintained by the University.
Financial Aid
All Ph.D. students in this program are supported by University fellowships, teaching or research assistantships, or traineeships awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the program. Stipends for 2006 were $25,000 for twelve months in addition to full remission of tuition and health insurance costs.
Living and Housing Costs
Apartments in pleasant residential areas nearby are available for about $700 to $1000 per month; rents are often lower for students who share apartments.
Student Group
Approximately 5,400 undergraduates and 1,500 graduate students are enrolled in the University. Students come from all regions of the United States and from more than fifty countries worldwide. About 52 full-time students are working for the Ph.D. degree in this graduate program.
Student Outcomes
Graduates typically accept postdoctoral research appointments, followed by academic careers in teaching and research, or governmental research positions. Brown University also has close ties to many biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, where some graduates pursue careers in industry.
Location
Brown University is in a Colonial restoration district at the head of Narragansett Bay, within walking distance of downtown Providence, the capital of Rhode Island. The city offers many cultural activities, including concerts, theater, museums, parks, and art galleries, which complement Brown's seminars, colloquia, and social and cultural events. In addition to the University's athletic facilities, many students enjoy ocean sports and the various recreational opportunities available throughout Rhode Island. Boston and New York are easily accessible by car, bus, or train.
Applying
Completed applications are due in early January to receive full consideration for financial aid. Applications received later are also considered, but no application for admission to the fall semester can be considered after August 2. Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores are required on the General Test and on a Subject Test in biology, in chemistry, or in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. The latest examination date that allows results to be considered is December. Students whose primary language is not English must also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Brown University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, age, handicap, status as a veteran, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or other school-administered programs.
Correspondence and Information
Director, MCB Graduate Program
Box G-J364
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island 02912
Phone: 401-863-1661
Fax: 401-863-1348
E-mail: mcbprogram@brown.edu
Web site: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Molecular_Biology/Grad_Program/