Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry

The interdepartmental Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry (MCBB Program) offers both the MA and PhD degrees. Its curriculum is designed to provide a solid foundation in these disciplines through coursework and research, and to prepare students for research or teaching positions in academia, industry, or government.

Participating faculty study biological questions across interdisciplinary boundaries using distinct perspectives. The faculty roster includes members from the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Biomedical Engineering (College of Engineering), Electrical & Computer Engineering (College of Engineering), and Health Sciences (Sargent College). Research in the program spans a broad range of disciplines, including biochemistry, biophysics, chemical biology, cell and developmental biology, molecular biology, molecular genetics and genomics, and systems and synthetic biology. Specific topics of interest include cell signaling, gene regulation, mutagenesis, cancer biology, computational biology, molecular neurobiology and endocrinology, muscle biology, enzymology, protein and nucleic acid structure, bio-organic chemistry, synthetic gene networks, tissue engineering, and biotechnology. The biological systems studied by MCBB faculty include viruses, bacteria, yeast, plants, cnidarians, fish, insects, birds, mice, and humans.

In addition, many of the faculty actively collaborate across the participating departments, and with faculty in the Bioinformatics program and on the Medical Campus, underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of the program and the breadth of research opportunities available to MCBB students.

State-of-the-art instrumentation and facilities are available within the various participating departments and at Boston University, providing opportunities for a wide range of modern experimental approaches to research questions.