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Molecular and Cellular Biology

Director

  • Jackie Bickenbach (Anatomy and Cell Biology)

Affiliated faculty

  • Christopher Adams (Internal Medicine), Lee-Ann Allen (Internal Medicine), Michael Apicella (Microbiology), Nikolai Artemyev (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Alexander Bassuk (Pediatrics), Jackie Bickenbach (Anatomy and Cell Biology), Gail Bishop (Microbiology), Daniel Bonthius (Pediatrics), Kevin Campbell (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Michael Cohen (Pathology), John Colgan (Internal Medicine), Beverly Davidson (Internal Medicine), Kris DeMali (Biochemistry), Frederick Domann (Radiation Oncology), John Donelson (Biochemistry), Martine Dunnwald (Pediatrics), Adam Dupuy (Anatomy and Cell Biology), John Engelhardt (Anatomy and Cell Biology), Sarah England (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Michael Feiss (Microbiology), Rory Fisher (Pharmacology), Ernesto Fuentes (Biochemistry), Minnetta Gardinier (Pharmacology), Pamela Geyer (Biochemistry), Paloma Giangrande (Internal Medicine), Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre (Neurology), Prabhat Goswami (Radiation Oncology), Steven Green (Biology), Gregory Hageman (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences), Hasem Habelhah (Pathology), Raymond Hohl (Internal Medicine), Mary Horne (Pharmacology), Jon Houtman (Microbiology), Toshiki Itoh (Pathology), Aloysius Klingelhutz (Microbiology), John Koland (Pharmacology), C. Michael Knudson (Pathology), Amnon Kohen (Chemistry), Tomomi Kuwana (Pathology), Gloria Lee (Internal Medicine), Steven Lentz (Internal Medicine), Andrew Lidral (Orthodontics), Jim Jung-Ching Lin (Biology), John Logsdon (Biology), Wendy Maury (Microbiology), Anton McCaffrey (Internal Medicine), Stephen McGowan (Internal Medicine), Jeffery Meier (Internal Medicine), John Menninger (Biology), Craig Morita (Internal Medicine), David Motto (Internal Medicine), Scott Moye-Rowley (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Jeffrey Murray (Pediatrics), William Nauseef (Internal Medicine), David Price (Biochemistry), Dawn Quelle (Pharmacology), Subramanian Ramaswamy (Biochemistry), Richard Roller (Microbiology), Peter Rubenstein (Biochemistry), Andrew Russo (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Thomas Rutkowski (Anatomy and Cell Biology), David Sheff (Pharmacology), Curt Sigmund (Internal Medicine), Mark Stamnes (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Jack Stapleton (Internal Medicine), C. Martin Stoltzfus (Microbiology), Stefen Strack (Pharmacology), Fayyaz Sutterwala (Internal Medicine), Christie Thomas (Internal Medicine), Lubomir Turek (Pathology), Lori Wallrath (Biochemistry), Todd Washington (Biochemistry), Daniel Weeks (Biochemistry), Michael Welsh (Internal Medicine), Mary Wilson (Internal Medicine), Marc Wold (Biochemistry), Charles Yeaman (Anatomy and Cell Biology), Joseph Zabner (Internal Medicine)
Graduate degree: Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology
Web site: http://molcellbio.grad.uiowa.edu

The Molecular and Cellular Biology Program provides interdisciplinary training in the concepts and methodologies fundamental to the investigation of biological mechanisms at the molecular level. Faculty members are involved in a variety of research projects related to gene expression and regulation.

Graduate Program

The Molecular and Cellular Biology Program offers a Doctor of Philosophy in molecular and cellular biology.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy in molecular and cellular biology requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of graduate credit. The program is sufficiently flexible to accommodate students with a wide range of backgrounds in the biological and physical sciences. Entering students are expected to have a solid background in science, including introductory biology and chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, calculus, genetics, and biochemistry. Students can remedy deficiencies in particular areas by taking appropriate courses during the first year of graduate study.

The curriculum consists of a sequence of required, core, and elective courses that provide didactic training in molecular and cellular biology and that ensure comprehensive exposure to concepts and experimental methodologies in the field. Students engage in laboratory research immediately upon enrollment and progress rapidly to original thesis projects that lead to a Ph.D.

Because of the diversity of biological research problems that can be pursued by employing molecular and cellular approaches, the program provides options for specialization in particular areas of interest.

The Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology requires the following course work.

All of these, if recommended by advisor; if not, students substitute elective courses;

156:201 Fundamentals of Gene Expression (fall) 1 s.h.
156:202 Fundamentals of Protein Regulation 1 s.h.
156:203 Fundamentals of Dynamic Cell Processes 1 s.h.
156:205 Practical Bioinformatics 1 s.h.

 All of these:

156:204 Biostatistics for Biomedical Research 1 s.h.
Approved cross-training course(s) 3-4 s.h.
142:290 Seminars in Molecular and Cellular Biology (taken each semester) 1 s.h.
650:270 Principles of Scholarly Integrity (taken each semester) 1 s.h.
Approved electives 6 s.h.

 One or three of these (total of 3 s.h.):

142:210 Advance Prokaryotic Molecular Biology 3 s.h.
Or all of these: 
142:215 Transcription and Multifunctional Regulation by RNA 1 s.h.
142:216 Chromatin Structure and Disease 1 s.h.
142:217 Cancer, Epigenetics, and Genetic Manipulations in Mice 1 s.h.

 Three of these (3 s.h.):

142:220 Protein Biogenesis, Transport, and Degradation in the Secretory/Endocytic System 1 s.h.
142:221 Control of Subcellular Motility 1 s.h.
142:222 Organelle Biogenesis 1 s.h.
142:225 Growth Factor Receptor Signaling 1 s.h.
142:226 Cell Cycle Control 1 s.h.
142:227 Cell Fate Decisions 1 s.h.

 One of these:

142:280 Topics in Molecular and Cellular Biology (precomprehensive students; taken each semester) 1 s.h.
Journal club of student's choice (postcomprehensive students; taken each semester) 

After successfully completing the comprehensive examination, usually at the end of the second year of graduate study, students advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. They devote their time to completing thesis research and writing their Ph.D. dissertation. Upon successful completion of all requirements, including the dissertation and its oral defense, students are awarded a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology.

Admission

For application materials and information about graduate training in molecular and cellular biology, contact the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program or visit its web site.

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog.

Financial Support

Graduate students in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program receive stipends and tuition support from institutional and extramural sources, including University of Iowa fellowships and graduate research assistantships, and training grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Facilities

Training is conducted primarily in laboratories and teaching facilities of the Carver College of Medicine Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Dermatology, Internal Medicine, Microbiology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Radiation Oncology; the College of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics; and in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Departments of Biology and Chemistry. Faculty laboratories and central research facilities available to students provide access to the most up-to-date research equipment.
Copyright 2009 The University of Iowa. All rights reserved.
Updated November 2009