Teaching and research in biochemistry are carried out in several locations in the University and involve the efforts of the above-listed faculty members. These individual faculty members constitute the University Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, which is responsible for instruction in biochemistry... Show Full Description

Teaching and research in biochemistry are carried out in several locations in the University and involve the efforts of the above-listed faculty members. These individual faculty members constitute the University Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, which is responsible for instruction in biochemistry throughout the university. The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics offers the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Except in special circumstances, the department will only admit graduate students who stated objective is the Doctor of Philosophy degree. A five year program leading to a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees is available to qualified undergraduates. In addition, the department offers a Master of Science degree in General Biology. This summer-oriented degree program is specifically designed for secondary school biology teachers, for more details, see the General Biology (GBIO) listing. The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics offers 3 options for students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. 1) Students may apply directly to the department for a directed course of study with any of the Biochemistry faculty. 2) The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics participates in the Biological Chemistry Program (BCP), which provides an opportunity to work at the interface of chemistry and biology. The faculty in this program represent the Departments of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacology & Toxicology. 3) The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics also participates in a joint program (BMCB) with the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology in which students may pursue a single degree in Biochemistry or Molecular and Cellular Biology, or a joint degree in Biochemistry/Molecular Cellular Biology depending on the course of study. Both the BCP and BMCB Graduate Programs provide students with a large pool of research laboratories from various departments and interdisciplinary programs from which they can choose a dissertation director. Research areas in which graduate studies may be pursued cover most modern aspects of biochemistry including bioenergetics; carbohydrate chemistry; electron and X-ray crystallography; electron tomography; environmental toxicology; enzyme mechanism; gene regulation and expression; genetic engineering; hormone biochemistry; insect biochemistry; membrane and cell surface biochemistry; membrane structure and function; metalloproteins and bioinorganic chemistry; muscle biochemistry and cell motility; natural product chemistry; plant molecular biology and biochemistry; protein, lipid, and nucleic acid metabolism; protein structure and function; rational drug design; receptor biology and signal transduction; spectroscopy of biological systems. Hide Description