Education

Harvard University: Arts & Sciences: Chemical Biology

Category Art and Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biological Chemistry, Harvard University, Science, USA, Undergraduate
Tags Arts, Biology, Chemical, Harvard University, Sciences

Program Rationale The goal of the Chemical Biology Program is biological discovery, and its approach is the seamless integration of principles and experimental techniques drawn from both chemistry and biology. The focus of chemical biology is on biology, which distinguishes it from traditional chemistry, and it uses chemical tools, which distinguishes it from traditional biology. The field also has deep connections with medicine and pharmacology.

The program spans the current Cambridge and Boston campuses and will engage HMS faculty from the Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Microbiology and Genetics, Systems Biology, and Cell Biology Departments; FAS faculty from the Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Molecular and Cell Biology Departments; and affiliated institutions, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT.

The Chemical Biology Program will equip students with the appropriate experimental and theoretical approaches to use or develop chemical tools for understanding biological processes.

Courses offered by the program will emphasize concepts, unsolved (or partially solved) problems, and novel technology along with an understanding how and why chemical approaches can drive new experiments and deliver novel insight. Students should leave the program better able to identify important unsolved problems in biology and with an appreciation of how to choose problems for which chemical approaches will be productive.

For more information, please visit http://chembio.med.harvard.edu/.

Academic Background

Chemical Biology will admit students with strong backgrounds in chemistry or biology. Those with biological backgrounds will need to learn the requisite chemical skills, and those with chemical backgrounds will need to acquire a deep understanding of how biological systems function.

The program’s first priority, then, is to give physical scientists a sense of what the important problems are and how they have been attacked until now and give the biologists a foundation in the underlying chemical principles with which they will need to be familiar, and a sense of the theoretical and practical tools available.

Program of Study and Formal Academic Requirements

The objective of the Chemical Biology Program is to prepare investigators with diverse background for independent research careers in which the concepts and methods of chemistry are applied to biological problems. This objective will be met through individually designed programs involving formal courses both in the Chemical Biology Program and in related fields, rotations in different labs, qualifying examinations, proposal preparation, independent research, and thesis writing.

Three basic courses that define the intellectual tools of the field and case studies of their application are: “Cell Biology for Physical Scientists”; “Organic Chemistry for Biologists”; and “Strategies in Chemical Biology.”

Laboratory Rotations

Students will be expected to complete a minimum of two laboratory rotations, preferably one in a laboratory with a strong biological emphasis and another in a laboratory with a strong chemical emphasis.

Rotations will be of sufficient length to accomplish a substantial body of work, and additional rotations beyond the minimum two would be encouraged.

Laboratory rotations will be approved by the director (co-directors) with some decisions being referred to the entire Committee on Higher Degrees in Chemical Biology (CHDCB). At least one (and preferably two) of the rotations should be in the laboratory of a CB program member.

Preliminary Qualifying Exams

The qualifying examination ensures that the student is prepared to under take thesis research and is normally taken by the end of the third term of residence. The exam will be an oral exam administered by three (or more) faculty members.

The committee should have two members who are CB program members. The exam will emphasize general knowledge, reasoning, ability to formulate a research plan, and ability to engage in high-level scientific discourse.

Teaching Requirement

All students are required to serve as a teaching assistant for one course by the end of their second year of graduate study. The course should be relevant to chemical biology but need not be one of the core courses.

Thesis Research and Advising

Before beginning thesis research, a student must pass one Harvard course in each of five subject areas; do satisfactory work in two laboratory rotations; and submit and defend an original research proposal. The purpose of the oral defense of the qualifying research proposal is to ensure that the student is adequately prepared to embark on thesis research. The exam is usually taken in the fourth term of residence, before the chair and two examiners knowledgeable in the field of the research proposal. Reexamination will be permitted. As a rule, students will not be permitted to enter the third year of graduate study unless the qualifying examination has been passed.

After the initial courses and laboratory rotations have been successfully completed, a student will select a field of study. Most students will also select a thesis advisor, who will then take on the remaining responsibilities of the academic advisor and direct the student’s doctoral research.

A few students may wish to design their own thesis projects taking advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of chemical biology. These students will need to propose a research plan to their academic advisors. The academic advisor will consult with the CHDCB as to the wisdom of proceeding with such a plan. Criteria for approval of a student for this program will include the degree of interaction with the faculty in both formal class settings and more informal settings along with the originality and feasibility of the proposed research plan. For these students, the academic advisor will serve on the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC).

In consultation with their thesis advisor or academic advisor, each student will nominate a TAC to oversee the progress of their research. In most cases, this will be done at the beginning of the student’s third year. The TAC membership will be approved by the CHDCB. At the same time, the student’s proposed program of research will be reviewed and approved in writing by the TAC. The TAC will meet with the student at least once per year to review progress and offer advice.

On receipt of the thesis, the CHDCB chair will appoint a reading committee of three to judge the thesis. The thesis defense is composed of two parts: the public seminar and the private defense. In the private defense, the candidate will be questioned on the subject of the thesis and its relation to the student’s special field and collateral subjects. If the reading committee is unable to agree on its recommendations, the question of accepting the thesis will be decided by the CHDCB.

Admissions

Students considering graduate work should request an application from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Students are encouraged to submit their application on-line. Please make it clear that you’re interested in the Chemical Biology Program 9000.  Please refer to the GSAS Admissions Page for further information on applying.