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program info |
Immediately upon entry, PIMB graduate students are immersed in a research-intensive environment in which they pursue questions at the forefront of modern molecular biology. Student development is fostered by an energetic and interactive faculty who provide mentoring and career guidance as well as by a flexible curriculum that can be molded to the needs of the individual student. Strengths of the program lie in its students, its faculty, the University of Pittsburgh research community, and the vibrant City of Pittsburgh.
Upon arrival, students perform three short rotations to experience the diversity of research available to PIMB students. Subsequently, students begin their dissertation research. The program is designed so that students can complete their Ph.D. degree in approximately 4 years.
PIMB provides cross-disciplinary training in two cutting-edge areas of molecular biology including Genomics, Proteomics, and Gene Function and Cell and Developmental Dynamics. These two broad areas encompass a diverse array of research fields that are explored by our students and faculty and include biophysics and structural biology, cell biology, computational biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, host-microbial interactions, immunology, microbiology, molecular pathogenesis, neurobiology, regulation of gene expression, and study of signal transduction and cellular metabolism.
The PIMB faculty is exceptional and includes members of the National Academy of Sciences, an HHMI professor, and several department chairs. The faculty is drawn from departments across the Pitt campus, they have a history of excellence in graduate training, and they are well funded to pursue cutting-edge research in molecular biology.
The faculty are enthusiastically involved in mentoring PIMB students, and one-on-one student/faculty interactions are common and encouraged. Reflecting the cross-disciplinary nature of their research, students can choose to have more than one dissertation advisor.
The training curriculum includes a specialized course in Approaches to Molecular Biology that uses human disease as a paradigm to understand how research tools and experimentation can be exploited to understand questions of fundamental significance in the field of molecular biology. Through course work and laboratory rotations students are exposed to a large diversity of training technologies that are used in modern-day cellular, developmental, and molecular biology. The curriculum is flexible and can be customized through the choice of a myriad of advanced elective courses that are taught throughout the year.
Training in the ethics of scientific exploration, instruction in writing grants, and integrated guidance into choosing a postdoctoral mentor will prepare PIMB students for future career development.
The University of Pittsburgh is now ranked in the top cluster of U.S. public research universities, and ranks 7th among all research universities in competitive grants awarded to its faculty by the National Institutes of Health. The University has a thriving community of graduate students engaged in biomedical research and interactions between PIMB students and with students in other graduate programs are encouraged and fostered. The University and City of Pittsburgh provide a multitude and diversity of research and recreational activities for graduate students.
Competitive stipend, tuition remission, educational enrichment fund, and health insurance are provided for all students admitted to the program.
