Interdepartmental Graduate Program
in Biomolecular Science and Engineering (formerly
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Division of Mathematical, Life and
Physical Sciences
Telephone: (805) 893-2290
E-mail: bmse@lifesci.ucsb.edu
Website: www.bmse.ucsb.edu
Program Director: Philip A. Pincus
Contents:
Cheryl Briggs, Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara, Professor (theoretical ecology, disease ecology, population dynamics, systems biology)
Alison Butler, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Professor (metallobiochemistry)
Rolf E. Christoffersen, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Associate Professor (plant molecular biology)
Dennis O. Clegg, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (molecular neurobiology)
James B. Cooper, Ph.D., Washington University, Associate Professor (plant molecular biology)
Peggy Cotter, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Associate Professor (microbial pathogenesis, mechanisms of secretion, localization and function of bacterial virulence factors, virulence gene regulation, mechanisms of signal transduction and transcriptional control)
Patrick S. Daugherty, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, Associate Professor (protein engineering and design, combinational molecular biology, gene targeting, viral vector engineering)
Frederick W. Dahlquist,
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Professor (biochemistry, protein
structure-function relationships; dynamics of bacteriophage T4; chemotaxis in
bacteria)
Francis J. Doyle III,
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Mellichamp Professor of Process
Control (biomedical control, process control, systems biology, nonlinear
dynamics)
Deborah K. Fygenson, Ph.D., Princeton University, Associate Professor (biophysics—experimental)
Christopher Hayes, Ph.D., University of Connecticut, Assistant Professor (molecular mechanisms of ribosome pausing during protein synthesis and recruitment of SsrA (tmRNA) to stalled ribosomes)
Jacob Israelachvili, Ph.D., University of Cambridge, Professor (surface and interfacial phenomena, adhesion, colloidal systems, surface forces, bio-adhesion, friction)
Luc Jaeger, Ph.D., University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg ( France ), Assistant Professor (biochemistry, biological chemistry, biomolecular nanotechnology)
Kenneth Kosik, M.D., Medical College of Pennsylvania, Harriman Professor and Co-Director of Neuroscience Research Institute (neuronal development, neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s disease OR basic mechanisms and disorders of naural plasticity, the role of microRNAs in stem cell differentiation)
John Lew, Ph.D., University of Calgary, Alberta, Associate Professor (biochemistry, molecular and cell biology)
Everett Lipman, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Assistant Professor (single molecule optical methods, protein folding, resonance energy transfer, applications of microfluidic devices)
David Low, Ph.D., UC Irvine, Professor (biochemical and genetic analysis of transcription, epigenetics, antimicrobials)
Michael J. Mahan, Ph.D., University of Utah, Professor (microbial pathogenesis, genetics, vaccine development)
Samir Mitragotri, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor (drug delivery and diagnostics, bio-membrane transport, membrane biophysics, biomedical ultrasound)
Daniel E. Morse, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Professor (molecular genetics, biochemistry, biomolecular nanotechnology, biomimetic materials)
Stanley M. Parsons, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Professor (neurochemistry, presynaptic pharmacology, rapid assay for drugs of abuse)
John J. Perona, Ph.D., Yale University, Professor (x-ray crystallography, physical biochemistry)
Philip A. Pincus, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (polymers, colloids, surfactants, membranes, biomaterials)
Kevin W. Plaxco, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Professor (molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering)
Norbert O. Reich, Ph.D., UC San Francisco, Professor (biological chemistry)
Joel H. Rothman, Ph.D., University of Oregon, Eugene, Professor (regulation of development, programmed cell death, neurodegeneration, cancer biology, systems biology)
Cyrus R. Safinya, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor (biomolecular materials)
Martin Sagermann, Ph.D., University of Heidelberg (Germany), Assistant Professor (structural biology, protein engineering, x-ray crystallography)
Omar A. Saleh, Ph.D., Princeton University, Assistant Professor (experimental biophysics/biomaterials)
Charles E. Samuel, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, C. A. Storke II Professor (virology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biomaterials)
Duane Sears, Ph.D., Columbia University, Professor (biochemistry)
Boris I. Shraiman, Ph.D., Harvard, Professor (statistical physics, quantitative systems biology)
Ambuj K. Singh, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, Professor (bioinformatics, databases, parallel and distributed systems)
William Smith, Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz, Professor (chordate morphogenesis and developmental biology)
Hyongsok Tom Soh, Ph.D., Stanford University, Associate Professor (bioengineering, bioseparations, biomaterials)
Galen Stucky, Ph.D., Iowa State University, Professor (biomaterials, surfactants, composites, materials synthesis, porous materials)
Matthew V. Tirrell, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, Richard A. Auhll Professor and Dean, College of Engineering (surface properties of polymers, biomaterials)
Carol A. Vandenberg, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Professor (molecular neurobiology)
J. Herbert Waite, Ph.D., Duke University, Professor (marine biomolecular materials, adhesion, sclerotization strategies, biocoacervation)
Leslie Wilson, Ph.D., Tufts University, Professor (biochemistry, pharmacology, microtubule dynamics)
Emeriti Faculty
Thomas C. Bruice, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Research Professor
John A. Carbon, Ph.D., Northwestern University, Professor Emeritus (biochemistry)
Louise Clarke, Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara, Professor Emeritus (biochemistry, genetics)
Ellis Englesberg, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor Emeritus
J. Thomas C. Gerig, Ph.D., Brown University, Professor Emeritus (bio-physical chemistry)
Nancy L. Lee, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Professor Emeritus (microbiology)
Robert L. Sinsheimer, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Emeritus (biochemistry)
George Taborsky, Ph.D., Yale University, Professor Emeritus
Edward L. Triplett, Ph.D., Stanford University, Professor Emeritus
The interdepartmental graduate program in Biomolecular Science and Engineering (BMSE) offers studies leading to the Ph.D. degree. The program is administered by faculty with joint appointments in the following departments: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Ecology, Evolution, & Marine, Biology, Materials, Mechanical & Environmental Engineering, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology (MCDB), and Physics. BMSE provides unique opportunities for intensive research training at the interface between the physical and life sciences and engineering disciplines in highly interactive and collaborative laboratories. The diverse group of program faculty provides students with an exceptionally broad range of challenging opportunities for multidisciplinary research in biomolecular structure, function, and engineering. Research areas currently under active investigation on campus include kinetics and regulation of enzyme catalysis, chromosome structure and cell cycle regulation, the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix, mechanisms regulating signal transduction and cellular differentiation, protein structure and structure-function relationships, protein-nucleic acid interactions, biomolecular materials (biominerals and adhesives), biosensors and biomolecular electronics, biomimetics, biophysics, molecular neurobiology, plant molecular biology, bacterial pathogenesis, and molecular virology and immunology. A complete listing of research interests of the participating faculty can be obtained by writing to the above address, or from the BMSE website at www.bmse.ucsb.edu/.
The program accommodates students with a diversity of backgrounds and career goals who are interested in multidisciplinary research training. Qualified students with undergraduate degrees in one of the life or physical sciences or engineering disciplines are accepted into the program. In addition to specific program requirements, candidates for graduate degrees must meet all university degree requirements found in the chapter “Graduate Education at UCSB.” Highly individualized programs of instruction can be undertaken by a student enrolled in the program after consultation with and approval by the graduate committee and a research mentor. Approximately 40 faculty members from the affiliated departments are available to direct approved research projects under the auspices of the BMSE program.
Admission
In addition to fulfilling the departmental admission requirements outlined below, applicants must also meet the university requirements for admission described in the chapter “Graduate Education at UCSB.” Optimal undergraduate preparation would include one year each of introductory chemistry, biology and physics, one year of calculus (differential equations recommended), one year of organic chemistry, one year of biochemistry, one course in physical chemistry (one year recommended), one course in molecular genetics or molecular biology and additional specialized electives. Applicants with strong undergraduate records who lack some of the preparation indicated above may be admitted with the condition that they complete necessary coursework early in their graduate careers. The target deadline for completed applications is December 15th.
Transcripts and Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test scores are required of all applicants. One of the following three GRE subject tests is recommended—biology; chemistry or biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Exceptions to this requirement will be considered for those students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate education at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. The minimum score for consideration is 630 when taking the paper-based test or 109 when taking the internet based test, taken within two years of the application to UCSB.
Master of Science—Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Degree Requirements
M.S. students may complete their master’s degree under either Plan I (thesis) or Plan II (examination). In addition to fulfilling all university requirements for a master’s degree, M.S. students must complete a minimum of 12 units of core course modules, all with grades of B or better, and 3 units of BMSE 263 (Research Seminars in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology). Plan I (thesis) students must also successfully complete 18 units of directed reading and research, and must write and defend a master’s thesis in consultation with a master’s thesis committee.
Plan II (examination) students must complete a minimum of 12 units of core course modules, all with grades of B or better, 3 units of BMSE 263 (Research Seminars in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), 12 additional units of graduate coursework chosen (with the approval of the graduate advisor) from the course offerings from any of the home departments of BMSE Program faculty, and 6 units of BMSE 295 (Internship in Biotechnology/Pharmacology) or BMSE 596 (Directed Reading and Research). Plan II students must also submit a satisfactory written final report whose content is to be determined in consultation with the master’s advisor and two additional BMSE faculty, and is filed with the BMSE graduate program office. This final report must demonstrate an integration of the knowledge acquired in the student’s graduate coursework and research studies, and shall satisfy the requirements of a comprehensive examination.
Core Module Courses
I. Biophysics and Bioengineering emphasis: 201A, 202, 203, 212, 215, 216A, 216B, 217, 244, 250, 251, 252, 253, and 255.
II. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology emphasis:
BMSE 201B, 201C, 205A, 205A, 205B, 207, 220A, 220B, 220C, 223, 229, 230, 235,
and 239.
Doctor of Philosophy—
Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Degree
Requirements
Ph.D. students in the program are required to demonstrate competency in fundamental areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, and bioengineering, normally by completing 15 units of core module coursework, and by demonstrating a depth of knowledge in at least two advanced topics. Program students will elect an emphasis in either biochemistry/molecular biology, or in biophysics/bioengineering. Core module courses in each of the two emphases are listed above.
Competency in the selected emphasis is normally demonstrated by completion of 10 units of modular coursework from the emphasis, with grades of B or better. Competency in the other area is normally demonstrated by completion of 5 units of coursework with grades of B or better.
In addition to the course requirements, students are required to complete three laboratory rotations during the first year of study (9 units of BMSE 592) and are encouraged to rotate through laboratories in more than a single academic department. All BMSE students are required to serve as teaching assistants for at least two quarters during their entire course of study at UCSB, and are expected to regularly enroll and attend BMSE 262 (Research Progress in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; also know as Friday Noon Seminar or FNS). Attendance is also strongly encouraged at BMSE’s weekly seminars (not a course).
BMSE students are required to complete all course requirements before advancement to candidacy, which normally occurs during the second year. Ph.D. students advance to candidacy by passing one proposition exam on their dissertation research, which involves a written research proposition followed by an oral defense of the proposition. After advancement to candidacy, program students are expected to present a formal seminar annually in the Progress in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar series (BMSE 262), and are required to meet annually with their Ph.D. dissertation committee until completion and defense of the Ph.D. dissertation. The final requirement for the Ph.D. degree is a written dissertation and its oral defense, which is usually in the form of a scheduled interdepartmental program seminar.
Students are expected to begin research for the dissertation by the end of the first academic year in the program. Research directors may be selected from any of the faculty affiliated with the BMSE program.