Graduate Programs

The graduate program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental program that offers students excellent preparation for a career that includes research in biological and medical sciences.

The mission of the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry Graduate Program (MCBGP) is to build and sustain an equitable and inclusive training environment in which a diverse group of PhD students will successfully gain quantitative, conceptual, technical, and professional skills that will allow them to conduct the rigorous and reproducible research demanded by interdisciplinary life science. Our goal is to make fundamental contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular, organ, and organismal function. We apply our findings to detect and treat human disease and to many other challenges that biotechnology can address.

The MCBGP draws faculty trainers from five departments within the Program in Biology (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry; Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology; and Neuroscience), four departments within the Warren Alpert Medical School (Medicine; Pathology; Orthopaedics and Pediatrics), and from the Chemistry, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics departments.

During their first two years in the program, students engage in training activities designed to build research and professional skills. During the first year, advising is overseen by the program leadership, which includes a director, an assistant director, and a director for inclusion and diversity. Students complete three laboratory rotations and then join a thesis lab and begin to work with their primary advisor at the end of the first year. Thesis advisors areĀ  committed to effectively mentoring graduate students and provide opportunities for students to initiate, conduct, interpret, and present research with increasing self-direction.

Additional Resources

MCBGP students have access to excellent core facilities that provide training and support in the areas of bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, imaging, and genetic analysis of model organisms.

Application Information

Application Requirements

GRE Subject:

Not required

GRE General:

Not required

Dates/Deadlines

Application Deadline

Completion Requirements

Proficiency in core areas of biochemistry, cellular biology, developmental biology, and molecular genetics through a common first semester core course and seminars that develop breadth in areas such as gene structure and expression, signal transduction, virology, biology of aging, epigenetics, genomics, structural biology, RNA metabolism, protein folding and function, cancer biology, and developmental biology; one semester of teaching; research seminars and rotations in three different laboratories leading to a potential thesis project.

Alumni Careers

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Leadership

Department Chair
Kimberly Mowry
Director of Graduate Studies
Mark Johnson
Director of Graduate Studies
Greg Valdez
Director for Inclusion and Diversity
Alison DeLong

Contact and Location

Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry

Mailing Address

Brown University
Box G-J364
185 Meeting Street
Visit the Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry

Resources