Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics
The Program
The goal of the Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics Program is to train scientists who will be prepared to undertake independent research in modern cellular physiology and biophysics. The program is multidisciplinary with considerable flexibility. Graduate research plans can be developed at several levels of cellular organization, from the biophysics of individual cell membrane proteins to interaction among organ systems. The graduate program is small enough that all students can receive as much individual faculty attention as they wish.
A variety of graduate courses designed to meet the needs of students are offered. These include courses dealing with membrane structure and biochemistry, molecular biology, cell physiology, ion transport, excitability and ion channels, computer modeling, optical techniques, electrophysiology techniques, systems analysis, and advanced study in neurotransmission, neural repair, receptor transduction, muscle excitation-contraction coupling, structural biology of membrane proteins, epithelial function, and cellular homeostasis and unstirred layers. Additional courses offered by other departments are available to the interested student.
By the end of the summer of the first year of the core curriculum, the student will select a laboratory and program in which to do his/her dissertation research. In the fall of the second year, the student will start his/her dissertation research with one faculty mentor and take CPMB required courses. It is expected that in the spring of the second year of graduate studies, the student will take the qualifying exam. Sometime in the third year of graduate studies, it is expected that the student will advance to the Ph.D. candidacy.
This program offers the student a unique opportunity for close interaction with nationally and internationally prominent faculty in the area of cell physiology and membrane transport. The majority of program faculty have active research programs funded by such peer-reviewed sources as the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the American Heart Association, among others.
The Curriculum
The required curriculum includes the first year of the Basic Biomedical Sciences Curriculum followed by coursework specifically related to the Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics program. The overall goal of this course work is to achieve a strong general knowledge in the medical sciences and an in-depth understanding of physiology and other disciplines related to the area of study. During this time, the student engages also in two research rotations under the guidance of the program faculty in order to become familiar with current research techniques and to provide a basis for selection of an original research problem. Before the second year, a faculty member is selected, and that faculty person will guide further academic progress and choices of the dissertation topic. Following the completion of most course work but prior to the initiation of dissertation research, the qualifying exam is taken. This examination typically occurs in the spring term of the second year of enrollment in the GSBS and covers general areas of physiology and biophysics, other disciplines relevant to the contemplated area of dissertation research, and extensive examination in the student's intended area of concentration. The student will be admitted to candidacy only after demonstrating the acquisition of comprehensive knowledge in these fields and submitting and defending an acceptable research proposal. Candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree generally spend two or three years carrying out original research in the laboratory of a supervisory professor. The progress of the research is monitored carefully by a supervisory committee. The student may take additional course work during this period. As the dissertation research is completed, the candidate must submit and defend an acceptable dissertation describing original research in the field of expertise, results of which constitute an important contribution to the field.UTMB |
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Copyright © 2006 The University of Texas Medical Branch. Please review our privacy policy and Internet guidelines.
Copyright © 2006 The University of Texas Medical Branch. Please review our privacy policy and Internet guidelines.