Students in MCDB graduate program do research in a wide array of inter-related disciplines, including Genomics, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Cell Biology, Microbiology, Developmental Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Computational Biology, Structural Biology and Virology.
- About the Program
Renowned faculty
Do big science. More than 2 dozen faculty mentors run active laboratories and bring in ~$7 million in grants annually, giving students the freedom and opportunity to pursue and answer important questions.
The right lab
Students do three 10-week research rotations during their first year, exploring a range of approaches, perspectives and lab environments.
Personal mentoring
Our community size of ~50 MCDB students is large enough to catalyze exchange of innovative ideas, but small enough so that each student gets close attention from their faculty mentor.
Learn how to be a scientist
Being a scientist is more than doing experiments. Our courses give knowledge and critical-thinking skills. Our workshops develop skills in writing, grantsmanship and presentation. Our ethics courses give framework and guidance. Our seminars teach you to think on your feet. Our students get grants, give seminars at national meetings and publish high-impact, first-author papers.
Be a scientist
Our graduates use their training to get the jobs they want, moving on to post-docs at prestigious universities, faculty positions at teaching colleges, jobs in government or industry, or additional education in law school or medical school.
- Program Timeline
So, how do courses and rotations and teaching experiences add up to a successful graduate career? Below we show a sample timeline of what a typical gradate student may experience in our MCDB graduate program.
Year One
- Three 10-week research rotations
- Begin coursework, typically taking two of the four formal courses you need to complete
- Participate in at least one semester of a literature review course
- Attend weekly research seminars given by graduate students
- Attend weekly Departmental seminars and associated journal club
- Participate in one or two Communications workshops
- Participate in the research ethics workshop
- Choose a mentor in April, at the end of the third rotation
Year Two
- Begin dissertation research
- Complete your remaining formal coursework
- Complete the two semesters of literature review, if needed
- Take your comprehensive exam at the end of the spring semester
- Attend weekly research seminars given by graduate students
- Present a seminar in the graduate student seminar series
- Attend weekly Departmental seminars
- Participate in annual mentoring and advising meetings
- Possibly serve as a teaching assistant for one semester
Year Three and Beyond
- Finish dissertation research, ideally in year 5
- Participate in annual mentoring and advising meetings
- Participate in seminar series
- Complete teaching requirement (if needed)
- Finish teaching minor (if chosen)
- Write thesis and defend it
- Mentors
Upon entering the program, each student is assigned a faculty member as the interim academic advisor. Usually, the faculty advisor for the first rotation serves as the Academic Advisor and advises students about courses and laboratory rotations until the time that a thesis advisor is selected. Students are encouraged to get to know interim advisors and consult with them on a regular basis. An informal evaluation occurs at the beginning of the second term when the interim advisor provides feedback on the events of the first term provide a mid-year report.
A thesis advisor is typically chosen at the end of the first year. The process of research rotations allows the student to experience a number of different laboratory settings, and interact with several potential thesis advisors.
Beyond the first year, the thesis advisor and the thesis committee assume the advisory role and meets with the student every six months to discuss progress in the research project.
Students interested in our graduate program in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology should examine the research interests of faculty in the following broad areas of investigation:
- Teaching
Why teaching? We ask graduate students to serve as teaching assistants because teaching reinforces a critical portion of your graduate education. And don't be fooled into thinking only graduates who go on in Academia need these skills. All of our graduates go on to become public biologists in some way, and must present information to others. In this way, the Teaching Assistantship provides valuable skills to the professional scientist. These skills are reinforced in graduate courses and seminars.
- Convey complex ideas. Teachers must be able to summarize large amounts of complex information and present it to an audience. T.A.'s learn to present information logically, in an organized fashion. This skill comes in handy when writing up your research results for publication.
- Know your audience It's easy to discuss any topic with fellow experts; you all know the language. Unlike presentations to peers (like in the Friday Noon Seminars), T.A.'s must learn to speak the language of their audience. This skill comes in handy when its time to write a research proposal, or summarize your project to the head of your Biotech company.
- Presentation skills. Students must learn to speak clearly and calmly to a group of people. That's true in the class room or in the seminar room.
How much do I teach? Students in all programs are required to teach for one term as a Teaching Assistant. We find this to be sufficient for learning the skills described above. However, a second T.A.-ship allows for different approaches to be explored, like classroom vs. laboratory settings. A second TA-ship is required if students are planning on pursuing a teaching minor.
When do I teach? Students usually teach in the second or third years. Students typically DO NOT teach in the first year; a fellowship provided by the Department allows them to focus on their research and preliminary course work. Moreover, students typically do not teach during the second semester of their second year when preparing for their comprehensive exams.
What do I teach? We provide students with a broad spectrum of courses to teach, usually in one's area of expertise. Students are assigned to courses by the Assistant Chair, after soliciting TA requests from interim and thesis advisors. However, just about any course can provide the training described above for any student. Students concerned about their teaching assignments should discuss them with their thesis advisor; assignments may be appealed to GAAC in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.
What about field courses? Because field experience is usually an integral component of a career within Ecology and Evolution, it is desirable that Ph.D. students in the EE graduate program elect to assist in teaching a field course at the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology. There are almost always enough field course teaching assistantships available to EE graduate students who need this experience.
Some students, particularly those whose native language is not English, may need additional formal preparation for their teaching assignments. Those students must pass an oral examination administered by the English Language Institute before serving as a Teaching Assistant.
Graduate students preparing to teach should consult our detailed guide of TA policies before starting.