Graduate Studies
Consider Biochemistry at Stanford and choose from more than 135 labs in 11 departments at the forefront of research in the biosciences.
The best of both worlds
At Stanford, our joint admissions program in the biosciences is based on a unique "home program" concept, which means that you may enter the small and close-knit Department of Biochemistry while reserving the opportunity to rotate through several labs during your first year before selecting your thesis advisor and program.
Choose Biochemistry as your Home Program...
... if you share our interest in studying complex cellular process at a detailed molecular level.
Stanford's Department of Biochemistry is housed in the Beckman Center , a modern research facility outfitted with state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment. The department is known for a cooperative and collegial environment that encourages the frequent and informal communications that are so vital for gaining insight amid the fast-paced challenges of modern research.
The department includes seven members of the National Academy of Sciences and two Nobel Laureates.
We invite you...
... to review our faculty interests and, if several members of the department are working in areas that match your own interests, to consider making biochemistry your home program.
in research and teaching. The major emphasis is training in research. Students work closely with a dissertation adviser and members of a research group on novel and important biological problems at the molecular level. Group size averages about 10, with a maximum of about 15 students and postdocs. To promote interaction among students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members, laboratory rooms are shared by members of various research groups. In addition to offering students access to all of the faculty members, this unique arrangement encourages collaboration between groups and has fostered the development of many new technologies. Predoctoral training begins in the fall of each year.
Courses in biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology are taught by the faculty, and advanced courses in specialized areas are also offered. These include the chemistry and biology of proteins, nucleic acids, and membranes; biological regulatory mechanisms; mechanistic aspects of enzyme action; bioinformatics and genomics; and molecular and genetic aspects of cellular and developmental biology. The program of study is created in consultation with the adviser to best fulfill each student’s educational goals. Graduate students learn about teaching by assisting in the departmental teaching programs.
All of the biosciences departments and programs at Stanford participate in a flexible admissions program. This unique program offers first-year graduate students immersion into a particular research environment that matches the student’s interests in a home program while also offering a choice of laboratory rotations and a research adviser from all of the more than 100 bioscience research laboratories at Stanford.
