Biological and Biomedical research and training has been a major focus at the University of Pittsburgh for decades: the Salk polio vaccine was developed at the University and Dr. Thomas Starzl’s pioneering work on organ transplantation and immunology has established the University of Pittsburgh as one of the leading organ transplant centers in the world.
The University: The University of Pittsburgh is located in the heart of the Oakland district of Pittsburgh, PA. It is a major research university with a significant commitment to graduate education. The University was recently ranked in the very top cluster of U.S. public research universities by the Center for Measuring University Performance, an honor shared by only seven universities. Furthermore, the University has climbed to 5th place among the nation’s educational institutions in NIH funding out of more than 3,000 institutions nationwide.
Research Programs: The University has a large and growing number of world-class science programs covering a broad spectrum of disciplines including: molecular biology, cellular biology, developmental biology, structural biology, drug discovery and design, immunology, neuroscience, organ and tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cancer diagnostics and treatment, cardiology, gene therapy, bioinformatics and computational biology, nanoscience, and medical device development.
Research Facilities: The research facilities are outstanding, with several buildings devoted to biological and biomedical research. Our newest biomedical science tower is enhancing our capacity to explore frontier areas like genomics and proteomics, neurodegenerative diseases, and vaccine development, and the Life Sciences Annex is providing new facilities for the study of cell and developmental biology.
Research Centers: The University of Pittsburgh has numerous state-of-the-art research centers that provide tools for modern day exploration in molecular biology. These include the Center for Biological Imaging, the NMR Research Center, the Genomics and Proteomics Core Laboratories, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Click here for more information.
Not only is Pittsburgh cool, it has been rated as the nation’s “most livable” city by Places Rated Almanac, Forbes, and The Economist.
Pittsburgh has one of the countries most dynamic visual and performing arts and music scene, great nightlife, and the city contains appealing vistas, large parks and recreational facilities, and beautiful neighborhoods. Check our "links" to learn more about the City, cultural and sports events, and things to do outdoors.
The City: The Pittsburgh metropolitan area population is 2.4 million, although only 300,000 residents live within the city itself. The city is gaining recognition worldwide for its advanced medical facilities, major universities, myriad cultural institutions, and start-up technology companies.
Affordable Pittsburgh: The Utne Reader called Pittsburgh “the affordable San Francisco.” The cost of living is significantly lower in Pittsburgh than metropolitan areas of similar size. The average price of a month’s rent here is half of what you would pay in Washington D.C., and far less than most other cities.
Neighborly Pittsburgh: Surrounding the University’s campus is Oakland, which buzzes with the activity of Pitt and Carnegie Mellon students. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that cater to every taste, and art galleries, nationally renowned museums, conservatories, and playhouses abound. The South Side offers theaters, galleries, eclectic boutiques, and taverns spanning Carson Street. The Strip District pulses during the day, when customers descend on Penn Avenue produce wholesalers, and at night, when clubgoers hit the Smallman Street nightclubs. The East End’s Squirrel Hill and Shadyside neighborhoods contain upscale shops, coffeehouses, pizza parlors, and antique stores. And, the mass transit system provides easy access to the entire city.
Entertaining Pittsburgh: Despite its relatively small size, the city of Pittsburgh has a large diversity of cultural and sports facilities. These include the four museums that comprise the Carnegie museums, one of which is devoted to the works of Andy Warhol, one of Pittsburgh’s most famous sons. The Carnegie Library is where the Pulitzer prize winning playwright August Wilson spent much of his free time. Downtown, the city has a 14-block Cultural District that includes beautifully restored theaters and buildings that are home to the symphony, ballet, opera, and touring Broadway companies. Regional amphitheaters and music halls host live concerts and performances by world-renowned bands as well as local artists. The city is also home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, all of which play in newly built stadiums. The city’s parks and its wooded western Pennsylvania surroundings offer numerous opportunities for skiing, boating, road and mountain biking, rock climbing, white-water rafting, hiking, backpacking, hunting, and fishing.
Neighborly Pittsburgh: Surrounding the University’s campus is Oakland, which buzzes with the activity of Pitt and Carnegie Mellon students. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that cater to every taste, and art galleries, nationally renowned museums, conservatories, and playhouses abound. The South Side offers theaters, galleries, eclectic boutiques, and taverns spanning Carson Street. The Strip District pulses during the day, when customers descend on Penn Avenue produce wholesalers, and at night, when clubgoers hit the Smallman Street nightclubs. The East End’s Squirrel Hill and Shadyside neighborhoods contain upscale shops, coffeehouses, pizza parlors, and antique stores. And, the mass transit system provides easy access to the entire city.
Entertaining Pittsburgh: Despite its relatively small size, the city of Pittsburgh has a large diversity of cultural and sports facilities. These include the four museums that comprise the Carnegie museums, one of which is devoted to the works of Andy Warhol, one of Pittsburgh’s most famous sons. The Carnegie Library is where the Pulitzer prize winning playwright August Wilson spent much of his free time. Downtown, the city has a 14-block Cultural District that includes beautifully restored theaters and buildings that are home to the symphony, ballet, opera, and touring Broadway companies. Regional amphitheaters and music halls host live concerts and performances by world-renowned bands as well as local artists. The city is also home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, all of which play in newly built stadiums. The city’s parks and its wooded western Pennsylvania surroundings offer numerous opportunities for skiing, boating, road and mountain biking, rock climbing, white-water rafting, hiking, backpacking, hunting, and fishing.