Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry of Health and Disease

The Biochemistry of Health and Disease (BHAD) graduate program trains students to explore the biological mechanisms that control the functions of living organisms. Students in our program work at the interface between chemistry and biology to probe the interactions between biomolecules that direct cellular function. This work is generating fundamental new knowledge about disease pathogenesis and is informing the development of new therapies. Graduates of the program are working as educators and researchers in academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and governmental agencies.The Biochemistry of Health and Disease graduate program offers a rigorous and broad-based curriculum of research and coursework leading to the MS or PhD degree. The program provides a communal and supportive environment that promotes the free exchange of ideas and methodologies, in which all of members of the community are invested in one another's success. A diverse and dynamic array of faculty mentors participate in the program, representing research areas that include protein structurefunction analysis, drug discovery, mechanistic enzymology, cell signaling, virus-host interactions and cancer biology. The theme of molecular and structural mechanisms represents a common thread running through all research programs, regardless of the specific biological focus.