Overview
Caltech Division of Biology, Birthplace of Many Modern Advances, Offers Leading-Edge Research for Ph.D. Candidates
In its 75-plus years of existence, the Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, has been the birthplace of many major research advances. Caltech biologists have helped to make biology the premier science of the new millennium, training many of the world's most eminent biology scholars, teachers and researchers.
The division's 38 professors, of various ranks and specializations, are shepherding 100 graduate students and 160 postdoctoral scholars toward fulfilling careers, with the help of more than 250 division staff members. The division occupies all or parts of seven buildings on the Caltech campus, and also operates a marine laboratory 50 miles from campus.
In each of three major research emphases - Structural, Molecular, and Cell Biology; Developmental and Regulatory Biology; and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Neuroscience - motivated students and dedicated faculty are trying to answer the great questions of modern biology, centered on the functioning of the cell.
Graduate research leading to a Ph.D. degree is chiefly done in the following areas: biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, structural biology, neurobiology, and virology. Since biochemical methodology plays a critical role in a number of these fields, there is broad and deep interaction with other, related programs in biochemistry within the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, particularly in the biochemistry and molecular biophysics option.
The various programs in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology follow approaches derived from biochemistry, biophysics, and genetics. New possibilities and new insights are being developed regarding formerly intractable, long-standing problems.
A major focus within the Division of Biology, neurobiology is the center of a comprehensive program of research and instruction. The program has been designed to range widely, from molecular and cellular neurobiology to the study of animal and human behavior, with exciting and groundbreaking work being done in the computational modeling of neural processes.
Three Majors, Cross-Disciplinary Programs, and MD/PhD Joint Programs Offer a World of Variety for Caltech Biologists
Division of Biology graduate students select one of three options (majors): biology, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, or bioengineering. There are two other cross-disciplinary graduate programs with a biological component that are available at Caltech, with the Division of Geology and Planetary Sciences offering a geobiology option and the Division of Engineering and Applied Science administering graduate study in computation and neural systems. Caltech also offers MD/PhD programs in cooperation with the University of Southern California (USC) and UCLA.
A joint program of Caltech and the USC Keck Medical School grants the MD/PhD degree, with students doing preclinical and clinical work at USC and PhD work with a chosen member of the Caltech faculty. Admission to the joint program is handled via the regular USC MD/PhD admissions process, and a maximum of two students per year will be accepted. The MD degree is awarded by USC and the PhD is awarded by Caltech.
In addition, there is a joint program between Caltech and the UCLA Medical School that also grants the MD/PhD degree. As with the USC program, students do preclinical and clinical work at UCLA and complete their PhD work with a member of the Caltech faculty from the Biology, Chemistry, or Engineering and Applied Sciences Divisions.
The STAR (Specialty Training and Advanced Research) program at UCLA Medical School was founded in 1993 to help MDs dramatically upgrade their scientific skills to take on academic/research duties. The PhD candidates in this program have already received MDs, finished their internships and, sometimes, their medical residencies, as well. Thus, after completing the PhD, most of these students move directly into faculty positions in academic medicine.
STAR is a cooperative program involving all of the various clinical departments at UCLA.
Year-Round Support - from Stipends to Tuition and Health Coverage - Is Provided for Three Years to All PhD Candidates
Caltech guarantees full, year-round financial support for three years, including stipends, free tuition, and comprehensive health coverage for all graduate students in our program. Despite this guarantee, Caltech strongly encourages all entering students to apply for predoctoral fellowships such as those awarded by the Ford Foundation, National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and other institutions and benefactors. Financial resources to support foreign students are, unfortunately, quite limited, but each year Caltech offers support to a few exceptional candidates.
Besides full tuition and stipend support, all graduate students in the Biology Division receive a yearly allowance of $2,200 for research supplies, as well as separate funds to cover travel to seminars and scientific meetings. These extra sources of support are a unique aspect of the Caltech program, furthering the ability of its students to independently develop their careers from the beginning of their PhD training.
Caltech Is Located in Beautiful Pasadena, a Gem of Southern California, and Is Close to All of the Southland's Treasures
Caltech is situated on a beautiful campus in Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles near the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is a community of 135,000 with a moderate climate, and rainfall is limited to the winter months.
The city fairly overflows with cultural offerings, including the Norton Simon Museum of Art, the Pasadena Playhouse, the Huntington Library (including Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens) and "movie theatre" row along Colorado Avenue. Musical and dramatic performances are available on the Caltech campus as well as throughout the recently renovated Old Town Pasadena district. Old Town's many boutiques, artisans and world-class restaurants make it a popular spot for weekend and evening fun and relaxation.
There are countless other attractions available only 10 miles away in downtown L.A., easily reached by car, bus, or Metrolink. Recreational opportunities in the greater L.A. area are wide-ranging, starting with the San Gabriel Mountains in Pasadena's backyard. The foothills offer dramatic hiking, camping, rock climbing, hang gliding, and mountain biking opportunities, and those who prefer water sports (or tanning) can get to the world-famous Southern California beaches in about 40 minutes or so. Of course, when you really want to do something different, short trips to San Diego, Mexico, San Francisco and other areas are affordable and quick, as well.
