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
Derek Stefanik works with Dr. John Finnerty reseacrching the regeneration in the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. Dr. Finnerty is in the graduate Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution 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.
Cassidy D'Aloia is interested in marine metapopulation dynamics and applied marine conservation research and works with Dr. Peter Buston. 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.
Marie Jordan is studying at the interface between organic chemistry and biology, with an emphasis on DNA mutagenesis. She works in Dr. David Waxman's lab and is a part of the graduate Cell and Molecular Biology program.
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.
Gloria DeWalt is a Masters candidate currently researching traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the laboratory of Dr. William Eldred. Dr. Eldred is a part of the graduate Neurobiology program.