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Detailed Information

Program of Study

The Committee on Higher Degrees in Biophysics offers a program of study leading to the Ph.D. degree. The committee comprises senior representatives of the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and Molecular and Cellular Biology; the Division of Engineering and Applied Physics; and the Division of Medical Sciences. Students receive sufficient training in physics, biology, and chemistry to enable them to apply the concepts and methods of the physical sciences to the solution of biological problems.

An initial goal of the Biophysics Program is to provide an introduction through courses and seminars to several of the diverse areas of biophysics, such as structural molecular biology, cell and membrane biophysics, neurobiology, molecular genetics, physical biochemistry, and theoretical biophysics. The program is flexible, and special effort has been devoted to minimizing course work and other formal requirements. Students engage in several research rotations during their first two years. The qualifying examination is taken at the end of the second year to determine admission to candidacy. Students undertake dissertation research as early as possible in the field and subject of their choice. Opportunities for dissertation research are available in a number of special fields. The Ph.D. requires not less than three years devoted to advanced studies, including dissertation research and the dissertation. The Committee on Higher Degrees in Biophysics anticipates that it takes an average of five years, with the maximum being six years, to complete this program.

Research Facilities

Many more of the University’s modern research facilities are available to the biophysics student because of the interdepartmental nature of the program. Research programs may be pursued in the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Applied Physics, and Engineering Sciences in Cambridge as well as in the Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Genetics, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Neurobiology, Virology, and Cell Biology in the Harvard Medical School Division of Medical Sciences. Research may also be pursued in the Harvard School of Public Health, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, and more than ten other Harvard-affiliated institutions located throughout the cities.

Financial Aid

In 2009–10, all graduate students receive a stipend ($29,700 for twelve months) and full tuition and health fees ($36,536). A semester of teaching is required in the second year. Students are strongly encouraged to apply for fellowships from such sources as the National Science Foundation, the NDSEG, the Hertz Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. Full-time Ph.D. candidates in good academic standing are guaranteed full financial support through their sixth year of study or throughout their academic program if less than six years.

Cost of Study

Tuition and health fees for the 2009–10 academic year are $36,536. After two years in residence, students are eligible for a reduced rate (currently $11,600).

Living and Housing Costs

Accommodations in graduate residence halls are available at rents ranging from $5167 to $8115 per academic year. In addition, there are approximately 1,500 apartments available for graduate students in Harvard-owned buildings. Applications may be obtained from the Harvard University Housing Office, which also maintains a list of available private rooms, houses, and apartments in the vicinity.

Student Group

On average, the program enrolls 50 students annually. Currently, 17 women and 4 international students are enrolled in the program. Biophysics students intermingle in both their research and their social life with graduate students from the many other departments where research in the biophysical sciences is carried out.

Location

The Biophysics Program maintains a dual-campus orientation in the neighboring cities of Cambridge and Boston. Their proximity provides for a wide range of academic, cultural, extracurricular, and recreational opportunities, and the large numbers of theaters, museums, libraries, and universities contribute to enrich the scientific and cultural life of students. Because New England is compact in area, it is easy to reach countryside, mountains, and seacoast for winter and summer sports or just for a change of scenery.

The University

Established in 1636 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Harvard has grown to become a complex of many facilities whose educational vitality, social commitment, and level of cultural achievement contribute to make the University a leader in the academic world. Comprising more than 15,000 students and 3,000 faculty members, Harvard appeals to self-directed, resourceful students of diverse beliefs and backgrounds.

Applying

Students must apply by December 8, 2009, to be considered for admission in September 2010. Scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations are required except in rare circumstances. GRE Subject Tests are recommended. Due to the early application deadline, applicants should plan to take the GRE test no later than October to ensure that original scores are received by December 8. Information about Graduate School fellowships and scholarships, admission procedures, and graduate study at Harvard may be obtained by writing to the Admissions Office.

The Faculty and Their Research

• The following faculty members accept students for degree work in biophysics. Thesis research with other faculty members is possible by arrangement.
• John Assad, Ph.D., Professor of Neurobiology. Mechanisms of visual processing in the visual cortex of awake behaving monkeys.
• Frederick M. Ausubel, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics. Molecular biology of microbial pathogenesis in plants and animals.
• Howard Berg, Ph.D., Herchel Smith Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Motile behavior of bacteria.
• Stephen C. Blacklow, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology. Molecular basis for specificity in protein folding and protein-protein interactions.
• Martha L. Bulyk, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences and Technology and of Pathology. Computational methods; genomic and proteomic technologies in the study of DNA-protein interactions.
• Lewis Cantley, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology and Systems Biology. Structural basis for specificity in eukaryotic signal transduction pathways.
• James J. Chou, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. NMR spectroscopy on membrane-associated proteins and peptides.
• George McDonald Church, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics. Human and microbial functional genomics; genotyping; gene expression regulatory network models.
• David E. Clapham, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics and of Neurobiology. Intracellular signal transduction.
• Jon Clardy, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Chemical ecology; biosynthesis; structure-based design.
• Adam E. Cohen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics. Analysis of structure and function of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
• Jonathan B. Cohen, Ph.D., Professor of Neurobiology. Structure and function of ligand-gated ion channels.
• David P. Corey, Ph.D., Professor of Neurobiology. Ion channels in neural cell membranes.
• Bruce F. Demple, Ph.D., Professor of Toxicology. Cellular responses to oxidative stress; repair of free radical–damaged DNA.
• Vladimir Denic, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Structural diversification of very long-chain fatty acids.
• Michael J. Eck, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Structural studies of proteins involved in signal transduction pathways.
• Florian Engert, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Synaptic plasticity and neuronal networks.
• Rachelle Gaudet, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Structural studies of the stereochemistry of signaling and transport through biological membranes.
• David E. Golan, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and of Medicine. Membrane dynamics; membrane structure; cellular adhesion.
• Edward E. Harlow, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Tumor suppressor genes; cell-cycle control.
• Stephen C. Harrison, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Structure of viruses and viral membranes; protein-DNA interactions; structural aspects of signal transduction and membrane traffic; X-ray diffraction.
• James M. Hogle, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Structure and function of viruses and virus-related proteins; X-ray crystallography.
• Donald E. Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Bioengineering and Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology. Research in integrin signaling, cytoskeleton, and control of angiogenesis.
• David Jeruzalmi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Structural studies of nucleoprotein assemblies.
• Tomas Kirchhausen, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology. Molecular mechanisms of membrane traffic; X-ray crystallography; chemical genetics.
• Nancy Kleckner, Ph.D., Herchel Smith Professor of Molecular Biology. Chromosome metabolism in bacteria and yeast.
• Roberto G. Kolter, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. DNA protection from oxidative damage; cell-cell communication in biofilms; microbial evolution.
• Andres Leschziner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Structural biology of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling.
• David R. Liu, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Organic chemistry and chemical biology.
• Jun S. Liu, Ph.D., Professor of Statistics. Stochastic processes, probability theory, and statistical inference.
• Gavin MacBeath, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Molecular recognition in complex processes: protein trafficking, intercellular communication, and apoptosis.
• Tom Maniatis, Ph.D., Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Eukaryotic gene expression.
• Markus Meister, Ph.D., Jeff C. Tarr Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Function of neuronal circuits.
• Keith W. Miller, Ph.D., Mallinckrodt Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Anesthesia. Molecular mechanisms of regulatory conformation changes and drug action on membrane receptors and channels, using rapid kinetics, time-resolved photolabeling, and spectroscopy (EPR, fluorescence, NMR); characterization of lipid-protein interactions in membrane proteins.
• Timothy Mitchison, Ph.D., Hasib Sabbagh Professor of Systems Biology. Cytoskeleton dynamics; mechanism of mitosis and cell locomotion; small-molecule inhibitors.
• Venkatesh N. Murthy, Ph.D., Morris Khan Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity.
• Erin K. O’Shea, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Quantitative analysis of regulatory networks.
• David Pellman, M.D., Professor of Cell Biology. The mechanics and regulation of mitosis.
• Mara Prentiss, Ph.D., Professor of Physics. Exploitation of optical manipulation to measure adhesion properties, including virus cell binding.
• Tom A. Rapoport, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology. Mechanism of how proteins are transported across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane.
• Samara L. Reck-Peterson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cell Biology. Single molecule studies of cellular motors.
• Frederick P. Roth, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Computational molecular biology.
• Gary Ruvkun, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics. Genetic control of developmental timing, neurogenesis, and neural function.
• Bernardo L. Sabatini, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurobiology. Regulation of synaptic transmission and dendritic function in the mammalian brain.
• Aravinthan D. T. Samuel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics. Topics in biophysics, neurobiology, and animal behavior.
• Stuart L. Schreiber, Ph.D., Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Forward and reverse chemical genetics: using small molecules to explore biology.
• Brian Seed, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics. Genetic analysis of signal transduction in the immune system.
• Eugene Shakhnovich, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Theory and experiments in protein folding and design; theory of molecular evolution; rational drug design and physical chemistry of protein-ligand interactions; theory of complex systems.
• William Shih, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Biomolecular nanotechnology.
• Steven E. Shoelson, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine. Structural and cellular biology of insulin signal transduction, insulin, resistance, diabetes, and obesity.
• Pamela Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Systems Biology. Nucleocytoplasmic transport; RNA-protein interactions; protein methylation; cell-based small-molecule screens.
• Timothy A. Springer, Ph.D., Latham Family Professor of Pathology. Molecular biology of immune cell interactions.
• Shamil R. Sunyaev, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genetics. Population genetic variation and genomic divergence, with a focus on protein coding regions.
• Jack W. Szostak, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics. Directed evolution; information content and molecular function; self-replicating systems.
• Antoine van Oijen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Single-molecule novel fluorescence and nanomanipulation studies of protein-protein and protein–nucleic acid interactions.
• Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D., Erving Professor of Chemistry. Protein–nucleic acid interactions; transcriptional regulation; X-ray crystallography.
• Gerhard Wagner, Ph.D., Elkan Blout Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Protein and nucleic acid structure, interaction, and mobility; NMR spectroscopy.
• John R. Wakeley, Ph.D., Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Theoretical population genetics.
• Thomas Walz, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology. High-resolution electron microscopy.
• George M. Whitesides, Ph.D., Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry. Molecular pharmacology; biosurface chemistry; virology.
• Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, Ph.D., Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Single-molecule spectroscopy and dynamics; molecular interaction and chemical dynamics in biological systems.
• Gary Yellen, Ph.D., Professor of Neurobiology. Molecular physiology of ion channels: functional motions, drug interactions, and electrophysiological mechanisms.
• Xaiowei Zhuang, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics. Single-molecule biophysics.

Correspondence and Information

Harvard Medical School Campus
For information on the program:
Harvard Biophysics Program
Building C2, Room 122
240 Longwood Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Email: biophys@fas.harvard.edu


Harvard University
For application forms for admission and financial aid:
Admissions Office
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Holyoke Center
1350 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Email: admiss@fas.harvard.edu