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Program Overview
Our graduate program in Macromolecular Structure and Mechanism trains students
to become independent research scientists. This training focuses on the structural
basis for molecular and cellular function. Coursework during the first year provides
a broad base of cellular and molecular biology, supplemented with specialty classes
that cover concepts and methodologies of structural biology. Hands on laboratory
research commences immediately, with a series of short "rotations" that sample
several different laboratories during the first year. Based on these experiences,
students select a laboratory, a faculty supervisor and an advisory committee
to guide their thesis research.
Our diverse faculty provide opportunities for learning a wide variety of research
methodologies involving biophysics, biochemistry and structural biology. Some use
X-ray crystallography and NMR to reveal the structure of individual protein
molecules in atomic detail. Others use mass spectrometry to identify members of
a macromolecular complex. Electron microscopy can define the organization of proteins
within such complexes. Computational methods can identify surfaces for protein-protein
interactions, and MRI can follow the progression of genetic defects in a developing
embryo. Biochemistry and biophysics provide other, indirect ways of addressing protein
structure and, importantly, link it directly with molecular function.
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Program Overview |
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