Reasons for choosing PIMB for your graduate education:
Start your dissertation research quickly: The option to begin in summer, the rapid 6-week laboratory rotations, and the limited course requirements mean that as a PIMB student you can begin your dissertation research as early as the first fall term.
Integrate your knowledge: Instead of taking a general overview course, PIMB students take Approaches to Molecular Biology, a core class that explores how cross-disciplinary approaches and tools can be used to understand complex problems such as cancer, heart disease, and viral infections.
Own your education: The PIMB curriculum has few required courses, and after Approaches, you decide the elective courses you will take. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of our work you can choose to have more than one faculty mentor. Furthermore, our students run their own research and journal club and invite world-famous molecular biologists as part of our PIMB Seminar Series.
Accelerate your career: The PIMB program is designed so that you can get your Ph.D. in as little as 4 years. Training in the ethics of scientific exploration, instruction in writing grants, and integrated career guidance make you unusually well-prepared to seek postdoctoral training or to take a position in the biomedical industries.
Additional reasons for choosing PIMB for your Ph.D. studies:
The faculty: The PIMB faculty has a history of excellence in graduate training, is enthusiastically involved in mentoring PIMB students, and one-on-one student/faculty interactions are common and encouraged. Although their research is grounded in studies at the molecular level, their science is cross-disciplinary, and ideal for students that seek research that is free of traditional boundaries. In addition to choosing a member of the PIMB faculty as their dissertation advisor, PIMB students are encouraged to have more than one faculty mentor, which can be non-PIMB faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh or adjacent Carnegie Mellon University.
The University: The University of Pittsburgh is in the top cluster of U.S. public research universities, and ranks 5th among all research universities in competitive grants awarded to its faculty by the National Institutes of Health. At the University you will be engaged by a thriving community of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows that foster learning and research. In addition, the University and City of Pittsburgh provide you with a multitude of diverse research and recreational activities.
The facilities: The University has modern facilities and state-of-the art research centers, which can be explored here. In addition to the University of Pittsburgh, the adjacent Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University have a multitude of first-class resources including those for imaging, computers, robotics, and biology.
The benefits: Upon admission you will receive a competitive stipend to cover your living expenses. In addition to the stipend, you will receive complete tuition remission, an educational enrichment fund, and health insurance.
The University: The University of Pittsburgh is in the top cluster of U.S. public research universities, and ranks 5th among all research universities in competitive grants awarded to its faculty by the National Institutes of Health. At the University you will be engaged by a thriving community of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows that foster learning and research. In addition, the University and City of Pittsburgh provide you with a multitude of diverse research and recreational activities.
The facilities: The University has modern facilities and state-of-the art research centers, which can be explored here. In addition to the University of Pittsburgh, the adjacent Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University have a multitude of first-class resources including those for imaging, computers, robotics, and biology.
The benefits: Upon admission you will receive a competitive stipend to cover your living expenses. In addition to the stipend, you will receive complete tuition remission, an educational enrichment fund, and health insurance.
