Application Deadline:
Below is information about the Graduate Program in Biological Chemistry (GPBC) in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Their mission is to guide and nurture the training and development of young scientists to independent careers.
The GPBC offers training in the molecular mechanisms underlying a wide variety of biological processes including nuclear structure & gene regulation, miRNA biogenesis & function, signaling, lipid metabolism & enzymology, exosome biology, cell polarity & migration, bacterial cell biology & cell division, immunology, host-pathogen interactions, pain & inflammation, stress responses, glycobiology, neurobiology, cancer, metabolism & bioenergetics, and proteomics and metabolomics. In addition to its scientific diversity, the Department, and University campus wide, is a very collegial and highly interactive community. As a consequence, most faculty engage in collaborations within the Department, between Departments and across Schools, including the Johns Hopkins Hospital, which broadens the perspective of graduate students’ research.
The current research program continues a tradition of research excellence that spans more than 100 years and numerous landmark discoveries, including: mitochondrial ATP production (Lehninger), mechanisms of enzyme catalysis (Hellerman), enzymatic carboxylation (Lane), tau & neurodegeneration (Cleveland), cytoplasmic protein glycosylation (Hart), TRP channels in sensory biology (Montell, Caterina), water channels, for which Peter Agre received the 2003 Nobel Prize, and HIF-1a & oxygen sensing, for which Gregg Semenza received the 2019 Nobel Prize.
Students have an unparalleled record of career success with 97% of our graduates having jobs that require a doctoral degree, 40% of which hold tenure-track or equivalent positions and 40% hold PhD level research positions in biotech or pharmaceutical companies. The primary goal is to train the next generation of independent research scientists, but they support the career goals of students, whatever they may be, with 20% of students achieving success in other career paths such as science consulting, management, science administration, policy, and publishing.
Faculty are deeply committed to students’ education, training, and success. Courses are designed to foster creative, innovative, and critical thinking, applying fundamental principles to a wide variety of biological systems. They combine classical coursework with journal clubs, research seminars and writing workshops to ensure the well-rounded training of our students. The program is smaller than most large umbrella programs creating a more intimate environment that promotes more student-faculty interactions. They view graduate students as our future colleagues and as such, integrate tremendous engagement and rigor in the training program. Their students demonstrate tremendous excitement and enthusiasm in their scientific endeavors, and many have made life-long friends. The environment is highly supportive and interactive and students often express what a very rewarding experience they have.
They are seeking creative, thoughtful, enthusiastic, promising young scientists to join the program. They welcome students from different national, cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds. In addition, they highly value the benefits of partnerships across the international community to scientific discovery, with international students constituting a large portion of our student body.
APPLY! The deadline for submission is December 3, 2024. Detailed instructions to navigate the School of Medicine Application Portal for the GPBC can be found here.
Links to the Department of Biological Chemistry and GPBC website below:
Please feel free to contact Dr. Tamara O’Connor, Director of Admissions (toconno7@jhmi.edu) or our Program Director, Dr. Stephen Gould (sgould2@jhmi.edu) with any questions.