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The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
(MCB) is home to an interdisciplinary group of world-class scientists and laboratories.
Its mission to advance biological
research beyond traditional boundaries is supported by innovative research
centers and state-of-the-art resources located on an academic campus enriched
by museums, libraries, symposia, and events.
It is this interdisciplinary and collaborative culture—motivated by a
passion for scientific discovery —that makes MCB an exciting place to study the
unsolved questions in biology. The
department trains its graduate students to be the next generation of life
scientists: creative, independent, and productive researchers working in
academia, medicine, industry, law, business, or the non-profit sector.
Training Programs
Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology hosts two
interdisciplinary training programs: Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) and
Engineering and Physical Biology (EPB).
Both programs take advantage of the university’s outstanding faculty and
extensive laboratory resources to provide pre-doctoral students with a solid
foundation in the concepts and scientific approaches used in laboratories today
to prepare them for a future at the forefront of life sciences.
The Department only admits students for the PhD degree. However, an A.M. degree may be conferred as a
non-terminal degree to mark the completion of the candidacy (pre-qualifying)
requirements.
Engineering and Physical Biology Training Program (EPB) Dr.
Offered
in partnership with the Department of Physics and the Division of Engineering
and Applied Sciences, EPB trains a new generation of scientists to view living
systems through the lens of physics and engineering.
Molecules, Cells, and Organisms (MCO) Dr.
Faculty participating in the MCO training program come from the
Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Organismic and Evolutionary
Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Stem Cell and Regenerative
Biology, as well as the Center for Systems Biology, the Center for Brain
Science, and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
MCO training involves an initial exposure to a broad sweep of
fundamental problems at every level through a set of core courses, followed by
deep immersion in focused areas. Incoming MCO students are required to take
three core courses during the first semester, corresponding to three track
concentrations: Genetics, Genomics and
Evolutionary Biology (MCB 291); Cellular, Neuro and Developmental Biology (MCB
292); and Physical, Chemical and Molecular Biology (MCB 293). The
objective of these courses is to provide students with a broad foundation in
the life science disciplines and prepare them for a future in science that will
undoubtedly draw from many disciplines in biology. In addition, these
courses will help students choose a specific track for elective courses to be
taken in the second semester, and also to choose their lab rotations. A course in quantitative methods and
approaches to biological problems is required in the second semester of the
first year. The intent of this requirement is to strengthen the
mathematical skills necessary to approach complex problems in modern
biology. The formal class work and research components of the program are
complemented by a rigorous advising and mentoring program, which includes a
required yearly written and oral progress report, journal clubs and a permanent
non-thesis advisor.
All MCB students must complete three eight-week laboratory
rotations, two of which must be in participating faculty labs. Trainees
are allotted significant flexibility in scheduling these rotations, as they are
essential in finding the right laboratory fit – both intellectually and
personally. The rotations expose trainees to the practices of a number of
different labs outfitting future scientists with the broad intellectual
framework they will inevitably draw on as they conduct cutting edge science in
subsequent years.
Pre-doctoral students in Molecular and Cellular Biology continue
to interact with students in their cohort even after joining a
laboratory. With “nanocourses,” monthly journal clubs, and annual
retreats, among other activities, fellow students will continue to share in
each others’ research and discovery processes, and will maintain a broad
exposure to advances in life science research outside of their home laboratory.
Nanocourses
Nanocourses are six- to 10-hour short sessions, given over one
or two days, in which faculty mentors delve into their individual research
interests. They are open to all trainees, as well as the department’s
post-doctoral students, and faculty. At least one nanocourse will be
offered in each MCO track each year, and students are encouraged to attend
nanocourses outside their chosen track.
Intersession
on Methods
Beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year, Harvard will change
its calendar university-wide. For MCB, this will mean a three-week
January intersession (otherwise known as “J-term”). Starting then, all
first-year students (and any others who are interested) will take part in a
two-week intersession program on experimental methods. Most of the
training in this intersession period will take place in actual faculty
laboratories, rather than teaching labs, where scientists are working with
yeast, bacteria, zebrafish, mice and many other models. The goal here is
to expose students to as wide a range of experimental models and systems as
possible and maybe even to entice students to work with a model system they
hadn’t expected.
Monthly
Journal Club
In scientific research, reading and understanding scientific
publications is imperative. While students read and discuss many articles
from a variety of journals in classes, the journal club gives an opportunity to
enhance the student’s presentation skills as well as provide another forum in
which to hold in-depth discussions of recently published papers.
Once each month, two students will present and lead a discussion
on a topic in the current literature. When it is a student’s turn to
present, a faculty mentor will offer advice on what current paper might be a
good choice, and how it might be best presented.
Seminar
Series
A large number of speakers – at the invitation of the
participating MCO departments – give seminars to all members of the life
sciences community. Additionally, MCB-affiliated research centers,
institutes, initiatives and programs offer ongoing seminars, workshops and
colloquia are open to students in the MCO program.
Students are encouraged not only to attend these seminars, but
to be actively engaged. Students may suggest speakers and are often
invited to meet with them after the lectures, for example to share an informal
lunch. Also, students in their fourth year (or higher) often offer their
own public seminars, presenting their own experimental results and gaining
valuable presentation experience.
Annual
Retreats
The MCO program holds an annual one-day retreat for
participating students and faculty. Held locally during the spring reading
period – but away from campus – the retreat features a series of short talks,
keynote speakers, and a “business meeting” (which includes faculty, students
and the speakers) to discuss the overall progress of the training program.
In addition to the MCO-specific retreat, there is the
department-wide fall retreat: a two-day scientific retreat that includes all
faculty, postdocs and students of the Department of Molecular and Cellular
Biology. It is an outstanding opportunity for members of different labs
to see what their colleagues are up to. For the newcomer, it is an
excellent introduction to the department, its faculty, and the stunning breadth
of science conducted here.
Admission and Financial Aid
Admission. MCB encourages prospective students to submit
their applications online.
Students without reliable internet
access may request a paper application here.
Applications
for admission are accepted from students who have received a bachelor’s degree
or equivalent training. First-year graduate studies normally begin in
September. Completed applications and
all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, are due at the
above address on December 8, 2008 for assured consideration for the following
fall. Late applications will not be
considered.
Recruiting
visits for well-qualified candidates are arranged by the department’s
admissions committee for February. These
visits bring potential candidates to campus to meet with faculty and students.
Financial Support. All students admitted to the program are fully
supported throughout their graduate careers, provided they maintain
satisfactory progress. Students are
expected to complete graduate work to obtain the degree within five years. Ordinarily, financial support will not be
provided beyond the sixth year.
Scholarship
support may be supplemented by teaching fellowships after a period of required
teaching has been completed. Applicants
also seek fellowship support from sources outside the University such as the
National Science Foundation. By the end
of September, applicants should request fellowship applications from their
undergraduate institution.
Undergraduate Preparation
Entering
students should have a record of introductory courses in chemistry, biology,
physics, and mathematics. The courses listed below are not to be regarded as
prerequisites for admission to graduate study, but most admitted students have
completed these courses during their undergraduate years.
Graduate Record Examinations. Applicants are required
to take the General Graduate Record Examinations (GREs), and to present the
scores with their application. Applications without GRE scores are considered
incomplete. Students are strongly encouraged to take a subject exam.
Prospective students who take both exams in the fall (September or October) can
be sure that their scores will be available by the December 8 deadline.
Program of Study
The First Year
Laboratory Rotations. In the first year, students
spend their first and second terms carrying out experimental research in the
laboratories of faculty members. A
minimum of three laboratory rotations are required, two of which must be with
faculty participating in the MCO Training Program. During these rotations,
students interact with individual faculty members and explore possible subjects
for future dissertation research. The first
two rotation periods are in the Fall term, and the third is in the Spring. With prior departmental approval, students may
choose to carry out an additional rotation during the summer preceding their
first year, or additional rotations following the Spring Term.
Dissertation Research. Each student arranges for a permanent faculty
dissertation advisor and begins dissertation research by the end of the first year.
Foreign Languages. There is no foreign language
requirement for the PhD degree. After the
First Year
Acceptance for Candidacy. MCB students are evaluated in
the spring of their second year by a faculty committee that meets with students
to discuss their dissertation proposal. Students
accepted for candidacy arrange to meet annually with their dissertation
committee. In the fourth year, students
make a formal presentation in preparation for their upcoming dissertation
defense.
Dissertation Defense. Four to five years of full-time research is
required for completion of the PhD degree. Completed research is presented for approval
as a written dissertation. Granting of
the degree requires the approval of a faculty advisory committee that reviews
the dissertation on its contents. The
candidate will also be called upon to demonstrate the ability to formulate and
defend original ideas on scientific topics not directly related to the subject
of the dissertation.
Teaching. Students
are required to serve as teaching fellows for two terms. Generally, students
teach for one term each in their second and third years. In one of these terms, students must teach in one
of the major undergraduate courses required by their particular training
program (i.e. Life Sciences 1a or 1b).
The second course taught may be either a large introductory course or a
smaller, advanced undergraduate course. Once
required teaching has been completed, students may teach for an additional term
with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Academic Residence. The Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences requires a minimum of two years of full-time study in residence.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Handbook
describes the regulations and rules that apply to students in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences.
Dissertation. Candidates will submit copies
of their dissertation to all members of their advisory committee at least three
weeks before the date of their dissertation defense. The dissertation should
include an abstract of not more than 350 words,
stating the purpose, main results, and conclusions of the dissertation
research. Procedures and requirements for the final dissertation manuscript are
described in The Form of the PhD Dissertation here.
Recent MCB Dissertations
Kristen Brennand. “β-Cell Replication and
Differentiation” (Melton Lab).
Jiunn-Ren Chen. “Modeling PDZ domain-peptide interactions” (MacBeath
Lab).
Benjamin de Bivort. “Plasticity and Polarity
Elements of the Drosophila Phototactic Circuitry” (Kunes Lab).
Jessica Gray. “The Role of Neuronal Connectivity in
the Color Rhodopsin Choice of Drosophila” (Kunes Lab).
Joshua Mugford. “The Molecular Specification and Cellular Origins of the
Mammalian Metanephric Kidney” (McMahon Lab).
Danaya Pakotiprapha. “Structural and Biochemical Studies of Bacterial Nucleotide
Excision Repair” (Verdine Lab).
Shai Shen-Orr. “Understanding Gene Regulation Using
Conserved Developmental Constraints” (Hunter Lab).
Faculty
Howard C. Berg, Herchel Smith Professor
of Physics; Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Motile behavior of
bacteria.
Briana Burton, Assistant Professor of Molecular and
Cellular Biology. Membrane-bound DNA transport machines involved in
antibiotic resistance, chromosome segregation, and spore formation.
Philippe Cluzel,
Professor of Molecular and Cellular
Biology; Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics.
Vladimir Denic,
Assistant Professor of Molecular and
Cellular Biology.
John E. Dowling, Gordon and Llura Gund
Professor of Neurosciences. Structure, function, development and genetics
of the vertebrate retina.
Victoria M. D’ Souza, Assistant Professor of
Molecular and Cellular Biology. Structural biology of retrovirus
replication.
William M. Gelbart, Professor of Molecular
and Cellular Biology. Developmental genetics; genomics; bioinformatics.
J. Woodland Hastings, Paul
C. Mangelsdorf Professor of Natural Sciences. Biochemistry of
bioluminescence; mechanism of the circadian cellular biological clock.
Craig P. Hunter, Professor of Molecular
and Cellular Biology. C. elegans genetics and genomics and intercellular
RNA transport.
Samuel Kunes, Professor of Molecular and Cellular
Biology. Neural development, function. and behavior.
Robert Lue, Professor of the Practice, Director of Life
Science Education. Life sciences
education.
Andrew P. McMahon, Frank B. Baird, Jr.
Professor of Science. Unraveling the developmental logic underlying
function, repair and evolution of the mammalian kidney.
Douglas A. Melton,
Matthew S. Meselson, Thomas Dudley Cabot
Professor of the Natural Sciences. Molecular genetics and evolution.
Andrew W. Murray, Herchel Smith Professor
of Molecular Genetics, Director of Bauer Fellows Program. Mitosis, meiosis,
experimental evolution, and signal transduction.
Venkatesh N. Murthy, Professor of Molecular
and Cellular Biology. Neuronal cell biology, synaptic transmission and
plasticity.
Daniel Needleman, Assistant
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology; Assistant Professor of Applied
Physics. Physical aspects of the organization
and dynamics of subcellular structures.
David
R. Nelson, Arthur K. Solomon Professor of
Biophysics; Professor of Physics and Applied Sciences. Force-induced denaturation of DNA, sequence
heterogeneity and the dynamics of motor proteins, population growth and
mutation in disordered media.
Erin O’Shea, Professor of Molecular and Cellular
Biology; Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology; Director of FAS Center
for Systems Biology; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Systems
levels and molecular analysis of signaling pathways; transcriptional regulatory
networks.
Sharad Ramanathan, Assistant
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology; Assistant Professor of Applied Physics. Signal
processing and decision making.
Vicki Sato, Professor of the Practice of Molecular and
Cellular Biology. Drug discovery and development; the creation and
management of biotechnology business.
Alexander Schier, Professor of Molecular
and Cellular Biology. Developmental genetics and neurobiology.
Stuart L. Schreiber, Morris Loeb Professor of
Chemical Biology; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Chemical
genetics and chemical genomics.
Jack L. Strominger, Higgins
Professor of Biochemistry. Molecular basis of immune recognition.
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