The School of Biological Sciences offers graduate study in a wide variety of fields ranging across the spectrum of the biological sciences. The four Departments of the School of Biological Sciences (Developmental and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Psychobiology) and four basic science Departments of the College of Medicine (Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biological Chemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Physiology and Biophysics), representing respective concentrations of study under the Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences, cooperate in the conduct of graduate education administered by the School of Biological Sciences. Although all programs admit students for study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, the Master of Science (M.S.) degree may be earned in pursuit of the Ph.D. Each department has a graduate advisor whom students may consult in regard to the technical details of the individual programs.
Applications for admission to graduate study are evaluated by the department or program to which the student has applied on the basis of letters of recommendation, Graduate Record Examination scores, grades, and other relevant qualifications of the applicant. Candidates for graduate admission are urged to consult the particular department or program whose faculty and expertise best fit their interests and background.
While both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs are offered, emphasis at the graduate level is on the Ph.D. programs. Most training takes place within one of the departments, although full facilities and curricular offerings are available to all graduate students in all departments of the Biological Sciences. Interdisciplinary study and research are encouraged.
Students are expected to maintain a B average at all times, attain the Master's degree in two years, and attain the Ph.D. in four or five years, depending on departmental affiliation. A Master's degree, however, is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. degree.
During the first part of the initial year of graduate work, the student plans an academic program in consultation with the graduate advisor or a small committee. Faculty advisors are changed if the specific interests of the student change. In addition, it is possible for students to transfer to another program in the School, subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, provided they are accepted into that program. Students are encouraged to consult with other faculty members with regard to their research and academic interests.
During their graduate training all students will serve some time as teacher apprentices under the direction of advanced teaching assistants and faculty. Advanced graduate students may work closely with faculty in the planning and execution of the teaching program. The amount and exact nature of the teaching experience varies with the department.
Master of Science
Depending upon the program, there are two plans by which a Master of Science degree may be obtained.
Plan I: Thesis Plan. The student completes seven upper-division and graduate courses including a minimum of five nonresearch courses. The student then presents a thesis based upon research done while in the School.
Plan II: Comprehensive Examination Plan. The student completes a minimum of nine upper-division and graduate courses. At least six must be graduate courses (numbered 200299) in the student's field specialization. This program is terminated with a comprehensive final examination.
Doctor of Philosophy
First Level of Competence. The student attains this level by completing oral or written examinations at the discretion of the department.
Second Level of Competence. This level is attained by passing an examination dealing with the student's particular interests. A committee for the purpose of administering this examination is appointed by the School, on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council.
Once this examination is completed, the student is advanced to candidacy for the degree and is considered to have formally begun dissertation research. The student submits a dissertation on this research and defends it at an oral examination during the final year of graduate study.
Graduate student status or consent of instructor is a prerequisite for all 200299 courses.
The School is structured in a manner that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to scientific problems. Interaction and cooperative efforts across traditional institutional boundaries are especially evident in the School's participation in various organized research units (described in the previous Research and Graduate Studies section) and in two interdepartmental/interschool graduate programs described below.
145 Biological Sciences Administration; (714) 824-8145
E-mail: gp-mbgb@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.bio.uci.edu/
Rozanne M. Sandri-Goldin, Director
Faculty
Nancy L. Allbritton: Signal transduction by second messengers and protein kinases
Joseph Arditti: Developmental physiology of orchids
Stuart M. Arfin: Protein processing and turnover; functions of ubiquitin
Kavita Arora: Drosophila development; TGF-ß signal transduction; cell signaling
Dana W. Aswad: Regulation of protein function by covalent modification
Kenneth M. Baldwin: Activity and hormonal factors regulating striated muscle plasticity
Michael W. Berns: Laser microsurgery of cells, embryos, and tissues
Hans R. Bode: Pattern formation and stem cell differentiation
Ralph A. Bradshaw: Growth factor action; signal transduction; protein processing
Peter J. Bryant: Tumor-suppressor genes of Drosophila and humans
Susan V. Bryant: Molecular basis of limb development and regeneration
Barbara K. Burgess: Structure and function of protein-bound [FeS] and [MoFeS] clusters
Michael D. Cahalan: Ion channels in the nervous and immune systems
Vince Caiozzo: Sarcomeric gene expression; contractile function; skeletal muscle plasticity
Anne L. Calof: Molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, and cell death
Richard D. Campbell: Morphogenesis; biology of Hydra; fractal geometry of biological forms
K. George Chandy: Molecular biology and structure of ion channels; novel therapeutic agents
Ken W.-Y Cho: Molecular mechanisms of axis specification in Xenopus
Michael G. Cumsky: Mitochondrial protein import; regulation of gene expression in yeast
Dennis D. Cunningham: Proteases and protease nexins: regulation of neural cells
Rowland H. Davis: Regulation of polyamine metabolism in Neurospora crassa
Ellie Ehrenfeld: Replication and host interactions of poliovirus and hepatitis A
Hung Fan: Molecular biology and pathogenesis of mouse and human retroviruses
Donald E. Fosket: Regulation of cytoskeleton formation and function
J. Jay Gargus: Molecular analysis of membrane signaling proteins
Charles G. Glabe: Amyloid Aß peptide in Alzheimer's pathogenesis; gamete recognition
Alan L. Goldin: Molecular analysis of ion channel function
Gale A. Granger: Immunology and pathogenesis: Cell-mediated immunity; tumor immunology; cytokine action
Chris L. Greer: RNA processing and nuclear export; tRNA gene expression
George A. Gutman: Potassium channel and immunoglobulin super-family genes
Harry T. Haigler: Growth factor signal transduction; annexin calcium-binding proteins
James E. Hall: Biophysics of membrane channels
Barbara A. Hamkalo: Molecular basis of differential chromatin condensation
G. Wesley Hatfield: Effects of DNA topology on transcription
Agnes Henschen: Protein structure, function, post-translational modification; fibrinogen
Franz Hoffmann: Regeneration of cultured plant cells; somatic cell genetics
Christopher C.W. Hughes: Endothelial cells as initiators and targets of immune responses
Anthony A. James: Malaria parasite development; genetic manipulation of insect vectors
Edward G. Jones: Structure, function, and development of the thalamus and cerebral cortex
Daniel J. Knauer: Human antithrombins and related serine protease inhibitors
Murray Korc: Growth factor/receptor expression; signaling pathways in cancer
Stuart M. Krassner: Developmental transitions of hemoflagellates
Arthur D. Lander: Molecular mechanisms of cell and axon guidance; proteoglycans
Janos K. Lanyi: Structure and function in bacterial rhodopsins
W. Ian Lipkin: Borna disease and neurotropic viruses; CNS delivery systems
Haoping Liu: MAP kinase signal transduction; dimorphic regulation in yeast
Kenneth J. Longmuir: Lipid metabolism; liposomes; membrane fusion
Jerry E. Manning: Major surface proteins and their genes in Trypanosoma cruzi
J. Lawrence Marsh: Molecular genetics of development in Drosophila and humans
Calvin S. McLaughlin: Macromolecule biosynthesis; control of cell division
Ronald L. Meyer: Development of nerve connections, nerve injury and regeneration
Ricardo Miledi: Neurotransmitter receptors and synaptic functions
R. Michael Mulligan: RNA editing in plant mitochondria and chloroplasts
Masayasu Nomura: RNA polymerase I; nuclear transport and function
Diane K. O'Dowd: Electrical excitability and synaptic connectivity during development
Michael B. O'Connor: Control of gene expression and cell-cell communication in development
Timothy F. Osborne: Transcriptional regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis
Thomas L. Poulos: Protein engineering and crystallography
W. Edward Robinson: Humoral immune responses in pathogenesis of HIV and SIV infections
Hamid M. Said: Cellular and molecular aspects of intestinal transport of vitamins
Suzanne B. Sandmeyer: Molecular genetics of a position-specific yeast retrovirus-like element
Rozanne M. Sandri-Goldin: Regulatory functions of a post-transcriptionally acting herpes virus protein
Michael E. Selsted: Host defense systems in phagocytic leukocytes and mucosal epithelium
Bert L. Semler: Replication of picornavirus RNAs; RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions
Donald F. Senear: Interactions of proteins and DNA in transcriptional regulation
Martin A. Smith: Synaptogenesis: regulation of gene expression and RNA splicing
Ivan Soltesz: Function and modulation of synaptic GABAA receptor
Eric J. Stanbridge: Tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes in human cancer
Robert E. Steele: Molecular biology of Hydra development
Donald F. Summers: Molecular biology of hepatitis A virus replication
Andrea J. Tenner: Molecular basis of the enrichment of human leukocyte function
Krishna K. Tewari: Chloroplast DNA: replication and transcription
Sujata Tewari: Neuromolecular mechanisms of alcohol/drug action on the CNS
Bruce J. Tromberg: Optical spectroscopy in cells and tissues
Larry E. Vickery: Metalloproteins; steroid hormone biosynthesis and receptors; molecular chaperones
Luis P. Villarreal: Tissue-specific viral and cellular gene expression; viral vectors
Edward K. Wagner: Herpes simplex virus gene expression during productive and latent infection
Marian L. Waterman: Regulation of transcription in human T lymphocytes
Stephen H. White: Protein folding in membranes
The graduate program in Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry (MBGB) brings together more than 80 faculty from the Departments of Biological Chemistry, Developmental and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Physiology and Biophysics. Each department administers a graduate concentration in association with the MBGB program, which leads to the Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences. The MBGB program is designed to offer students a unified curriculum, broad training, and a wide range of research opportunities in the following areas: cancer biology, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, immunology and pathogenesis, mechanisms of gene expression, molecular neurobiology, molecular physiology and biophysics, structural biology/protein engineering, and virology. The goal of the combined program is to produce creative and productive scientists who have an in-depth comprehension in a given subspecialty.
During the five years established as the normative time for completing the Ph.D. degree, students complete the MBGB program requirements during their first two years, and in the remaining three years, complete the requirements of one of the five affiliated concentrations. In the first year of study, emphasis is placed on immediate research participation supported by formal course work in protein and nucleic acid biochemistry, cell biology, and gene expression, and one genetics course. At the end of the first year, student competence and critical thinking in the molecular aspects of biological sciences are tested through a comprehensive preliminary examination and overall evaluation. Selection of an advisor from among the more than 80 laboratories usually occurs prior to the preliminary examination. Regular teaching of undergraduates is part of graduate student training in the second year of study. At this time, students also begin to lay the experimental foundation for their dissertation project proposal. During the second year and beyond, students participate in the departmental journal club and seminar series of the department in which they have elected to carry out their dissertation work, as specified by the concentration requirements. In years three and beyond, students fulfill departmental requirements for the Ph.D. Further information is available in the Catalogue sections of the participating departments and through the MBGB program office in the Biological Sciences Administration building.
Applicants should have significant laboratory experience and be well-prepared in calculus, physics, organic chemistry, and biochemistry.
145 Biological Sciences Administration; (714) 824-6686
E-mail: protengr@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.bio.uci.edu/
Larry E. Vickery, Director
Faculty
Dana W. Aswad: Regulation of protein function by covalent modification
Ralph A. Bradshaw: Growth factor action; signal transduction; protein processing
Barbara K. Burgess: Structure and function of protein-bound [FeS] and [MoFeS] clusters
Richard Chamberlin: Site-directed mutagenesis with non-natural amino acids
Nancy A. DaSilva: Improvement of cell and enzyme-mediated processes via molecular genetics
Charles G. Glabe: Amyloid Aß peptide in Alzheimer's pathogenesis; gamete recognition
Agnes H. Henschen-Edman: Protein structure, function, post-translational modification; fibrinogen
Janos K. Lanyi: Structure and function in bacterial rhodopsins
James S. Nowick: Study of protein structure in synthetic chemical model systems
Thomas L. Poulos: Protein engineering and crystallography
Michael E. Selsted: Host defense systems in phagocytic leukocytes and mucosal epithelium
Donald F. Senear: Interactions of proteins and DNA in transcriptional regulation
Athan J. Shaka: New techniques in high-resolution multi-dimensional NMR
Larry E. Vickery: Metalloproteins; steroid hormone biosynthesis and receptors; molecular chaperones
Stephen H. White: Protein folding in membranes
Thomas K. Wood: Expression of oxygenases in foreign hosts for bio-remediation
The new discipline of protein engineering has emerged, combining biochemistry, physical and organic chemistry, recombinant DNA technology, structural biology, and biochemical engineering. This has provided new approaches to the basic study of protein structure and function, as well as the opportunity to design and produce proteins with a broad spectrum of industrial and health-related applications. The School of Biological Sciences, in conjunction with the Department of Chemistry in the School of Physical Sciences and the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering in the School of Engineering, offer an interdisciplinary graduate program leading to the Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, or Engineering with a concentration in Protein Engineering Science. The program brings together faculty with research interests in: structure/function of enzymes, metalloproteins, receptors, and growth factors; protein folding and design; bioremediation; protein modification with non-natural amino acids; NMR spectroscopy; and X-ray crystallography.
Upon entrance to the program, students choose a Protein Engineering curriculum leading to one of the three degrees. First-year students take courses in molecular biology and protein chemistry, structure, and engineering, and complete three laboratory rotations of their choice. Additional elective courses, current literature seminars, and research presentations are used to broaden training in subsequent years. A qualifying examination is administered at the end of the first year for students in the Schools of Biological Sciences and Engineering. For students in Chemistry, a written examination is administered early in the second year. Students are then expected to select a laboratory and begin work toward completion of a Ph.D. dissertation based upon their own original research. Students advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. by presenting their dissertation proposal to an examining committee which also guides and advises the students and monitors research progress throughout their graduate training. The normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years.
