Best Cell, Cellular and Molecular Biology graduate PHD programs - Updated 2022

The Graduate School and the Department of Molecular Biology have partnered with The Rutgers University and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to serve as a Ph.D. research training site for students enrolled in the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-Princeton University MD/PhD program.These students fulfill Graduate School and departmental requirements, including the one-year residence requirement and passing the general and final public oral examinations.

MCO’s unique approach to the Biological Sciences Ph.D. cultivates versatility as well as depth of expertise by exposing its students to the full spectrum of modern biology. During the first year, students will complete three of up to four possible 5-week lab rotations before selecting a thesis lab early during the second semester. Lab rotations offer students the opportunity to explore divergent fields of scientific research and collaborate with faculty affiliated with five departments and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, providing an interdisciplinary foundation intended to inform ultimate paths of research.

Through this program, students can research in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology spans biology from the organismal to the molecular levels. To enter the Ph.D. program, students apply to the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development (MCGD) track; the Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics, and Structural Biology (BQBS) track; or the Plant Molecular Biology (PMB) track within the interdepartmental graduate program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).

Stanford is a world leader in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Central discoveries in stem cell biology – tissue stem cells and their use for regenerative therapies, transdifferentiation into mature cell-types, isolation of cancerous stem cells, and stem cell signaling pathways – were made by Stanford faculty and students. The mission is to train the next generation of stem cell scientists.

The University Program in Cell and Molecular Biology provides a core curriculum in those subjects that are of importance to all students in the fields of cell and molecular biology, complemented by specific courses in each student's area of concentration. Specializations include molecular genetic and biophysical approaches in the study of: the structure-function relationships of nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids; DNA replication and nuclear structure; cell membranes, motility, and cytoskeletal elements; development and differentiation; receptors and signal transduction; regulation of transcription and translation of genetic information; the development and function of the nervous system; and regulatory events in the immune system.

The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group (CAMB) is an interdisciplinary graduate program, providing rigorous training in modern cell and molecular biology, preparing students for leadership careers in biomedical research. Within this integrated program are six discipline areas: Cancer Biology Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism Developmental, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Gene Therapy and Vaccines Genetics and Epigenetics and Microbiology, Virology and Parasitology.

The Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) program at Dartmouth is an interdisciplinary graduate program whose mission is to train highly qualified students for productive careers in research, teaching and biotechnology through the completion of a Ph.D. degree. Dartmouth MCB consists of over 185 students from across the United States and twenty different countries and 89 faculty members including members of the National Academy of Science and AAAS, recipients of NIH MERIT and NSF CAREER awards.

Doctoral Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics. The Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMDB) at Johns Hopkins cross-trains doctoral students in all of these areas. CMDB graduate students participate in a core curriculum including molecular biology, cellular biology, developmental biology, and biophysics.

Students and faculty in the Program in Molecular Cell Biology are involved in a wide array of investigations into many fundamental cell processes and the mechanisms that control them. Among the subjects currently under investigation are: gene expression; mechanisms of transcription and tissue-specific transcription regulation; molecular mechanisms involved in cell proliferation; cell cytoskeleton, motility and chemotaxis; pathways for the trafficking of molecules into and out of cells; receptor-ligand interactions involved in regulation of cell growth and cell phenotype; signal transduction molecules and pathways; lipid metabolism; assembly of supramolecular structures including extracellular matrix; and mechanisms of enzyme catalysis and inhibition; and mechanisms of pathogenesis.

The Weill Cornell Graduate School (WCGS) programs in Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Cell & Developmental Biology, and Molecular Biology are collectively known as the BCMB Allied program and operate as an alliance. A graduate degree or doctoral degree in Molecular Biology at Weill Cornell Graduate School draws from a faculty of forty recognized globally in medical science.