Doctoral Program

Education and training of doctoral students is a core mission of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. Faculty members mentor graduate students from the Coordinated Doctoral Programs in Biomedical Sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) as well as from the Departments of Applied Physics, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, and others at the Arts and Sciences and Manhattanville campuses.

At any given time approximately 50 graduate students are conducting doctoral research in laboratories within the department. After completion of the doctorate, the majority of students go on to postdoctoral positions at leading research institutions.

Prospective students interested in research at the department's laboratories most commonly apply through the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies or the Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, both of which are within the Coordinated Doctoral Programs.

The Integrated Program is an umbrella program that includes more than 200 faculty members from the basic sciences departments at the medical center as well as other campuses of Columbia University. The program presents students with a unique opportunity to obtain individualized training in basic cell and molecular biology, microbiology, structural biology, biophysics, genetics, immunology, neurobiology, and computational biology, as well as translational biomedical disease-related research.

The Program in Neurobiology and Behavior is founded on the principle that the study of the biological roots of behavior is essential for an understanding of animal and human behavior, as well as for insights into the causes and cures of nervous system disorders. The program offers a diverse set of research and academic experiences that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience.