Doctor of Philosophy in Cellular and Molecular Biology - Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine

The overall goal of the research in the Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine focus group is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic development and regeneration in the adult. This large and diverse focus group consists of faculty from departments and schools across campus. Our faculty are engaged in a wide variety of research directions ranging from basic research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms governing development and regeneration to translational goal of using stem cells as therapeutic agents to treat disease. Group members are exploring the mechanisms by which transcription factors, cytosolic regulators and extracellular cues determine cell fate, cell movements and patterning during development and regeneration. The group also has an emphasis on stem cell biology, exploring questions on self-renewal and differentiation during embryonic development and regeneration, developmental timing and using stem cells in tissue repair and the treatment of disease.Collectively, the group uses a wide spectrum of model organisms in their research including nematodes, flies, zebrafish, planaria, amphibians and mice, as well as embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. Students have the opportunity to use a wide variety of genetic, biochemical, molecular and genomic approaches including state of the art imaging, transgenic and gene editing, and genomic and bioinformatics technologies in their research.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school. A minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 credit hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. The Graduate School will take into consideration different grade scales from institutions that do not have 4.00 scales (e.g., institutions outside the United States of America).