Biological Sciences Graduate Program (BISI)

University of Maryland Biological Sciences Graduate Program

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The Biological Sciences Graduate Program (BISI) offers a wide range of research and training opportunities for students who are interested in pursuing doctoral level research in very diverse areas across the biological sciences. Faculty research interests span from molecules to ecosystems, including all intermediate levels of organization.

Research approaches extend from the most modern approaches for studying molecules to sophisticated methods for examining global-scale climate change. Research takes place within the laboratories of faculty in the departments in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, as well as in laboratories of participating faculty in other colleges and institutes of the University of Maryland.

In addition, students have the opportunity to work with participating scientists from nearby prominent research institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, Smithsonian Institution, and the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The goal of the Biological Sciences Program is to enable students to obtain the best training in their intended research areas, to work closely with outstanding faculty, and to prepare for successful futures contributing to exciting discoveries and teaching in the life sciences.

Concentration Areas

Each student will generally be part of, and advised through, one of the Biological Sciences concentration areas:

Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & SystematicsBehavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics

An interdisciplinary approach to fundamental and applied research in the areas of behavior, ecology, evolution, systematics, and related disciplines utilizing our strong links to the Smithsonian Institution and other federal research organizations in the metro DC area.

Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and GenomicsComputational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics

Specialized multi-disciplinary training and research opportunities in different aspects of computational biology and genomics that prepares students for scholarship and leadership in the field. Challenges in computational biology and genomics range from understanding sequence data to the analysis of protein structure and protein-protein interactions, prediction and high-throughput assessment of biological function and the study of gene networks.

Molecular and Cellular Biology Molecular and Cellular Biology

Multi-disciplinary training and research opportunities in the broad areas of cell biology, molecular biology, virology, microbiology, and related disciplines supported by faculty from six departments at the University of Maryland, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and several institutes of the National Institutes of Health.

Physiological SystemsPhysiological Systems*

Dedicated to understanding the function of biological processes at the physical, mechanistic, and systems levels. We are training the next generation of research scientists in a physiological and systems perspective towards tackling fundamental problems of biological systems, using multidisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge technologies.

Biological Sciences Research Clusters

In addition to Concentration Areas within the Biological Sciences Program, several groups of faculty with shared research interests have formed “research clusters” to foster collaborative projects and enriched opportunities for graduate students.

Students apply to the Biological Sciences graduate program and one (or at most two) Concentration Areas that contain faculty from the research cluster of interest. Students may join a research cluster once on campus, and are encouraged to explore the examples listed below to better understand potential opportunities.

*NOTE: Formally, the current name of this Concentration Area is Physiology, and that is how it appears on the Application for Admission (in the Application Supplemental Form (ASF) to the Biological Sciences Graduate Program Application). We anticipate a title change to Physiological Systems effective early January 2010. This is a title change only, and will not impact application procedure or programming.