Graduate Program
The Department of Biology offers degree programs leading to both the Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Graduate training is available across the full spectrum of modern biological investigation from molecular biology to ecosystems, unified by a strong focus on the evolutionary underpinnings of life at these different levels. Faculty members are grouped into four primary research areas, each of which has a corresponding graduate curriculum and seminar series.
Students may take advantage of the full breadth of training in modern biology offered in the department through their choice of elective courses, teaching experiences and department-wide seminars. Through these as well as the career presentations and opportunities for networking offered by the Biology Graduate Student Association and the Women in Biology group, graduate students in biology enjoy a highly interactive environment and training that provides excellent preparation for a variety of careers in the biological sciences. While many recent PhD graduates seek a traditional academic career, an increasing number find careers in biotechnology, government agencies, and a wide range of non-governmental organizations.
Graduate training can be pursued in each of the following areas:
Biology faculty are also involved in several other interdisciplinary graduate programs, including Bioinformatics; Neuroscience; and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry.
For more information on our graduate program, contact Meredith Canode, Graduate Program Director for the Biology Department at mcanode@bu.edu.
Grad Students
Stephen Amato works with Dr. Hengye Man, reseacrching the process of signaling pathways that control energy homeostasis within the neuron. Dr. Man is in both the graduate Cell and Molecular Biology and Neurobiology program.
Katie Faust Stryjewski works with Dr. Michael Sorenson in the area of avian ecology and behavior. Dr. Sorenson is in the graduate Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution program.
Nikki Traylor-Knowles is interested in the molecular and transcriptomic aspects of wound healing in cnidarians, with a focus on corals and works with both Drs. Les Kaufman and John Finnerty. She is a part of the graduate Marine Biology program.
Benjamin H. C. Carr is analyzing the long-term dynamics of marine ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic and works with Dr. Les Kaufman. He is a part of the graduate Marine Biology program.
Andrew Reinmann's research is focused on quantifying the role of winter climate change in carbon storage in temperate forests. He works with Dr. Pamela Templer and is a part of the graduate Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution program.
Christine M. Snyder is interested in the role of the Mef2A transcription factor and works with Dr. Frank Naya and is a part of the graduate Cell and Molecular Biology program.
Learn more about Christine and our other graduate students...
Iker Etchegaray is studying phagocytosis in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaste. He works with Dr. Kim McCall as a part of the graduate Neurobiology program.
Eva Fast has been studying the study how Wolbachia, obligate intracellular bacteria, get transmitted vertically through the female germline of insects. She works with Dr. Horacio Frydman as a part of the graduate Neurobiology program.