Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

Program Overview
Biochemistry is the common language of all biological disciplines. Molecular Biology encompasses a set of complementary approaches to life processes. Their common objective is to reach an understanding of the correlation between structure and function defined by the intra- and inter-cellular relationship of biomolecules. Consequently, students of biochemistry and molecular biology must have a broad scientific education. Such training, however, is only an extension of the central purpose of graduate education, which is to expand the students’ capacity for scholarly activity and independent creative thinking.

Mission Statement
The purposes of the graduate program are to train individuals to become scientists through a program of independent but mentored creative research, and through a course work curriculum that prepares students with a background needed to make scientific advances and to evaluate critically current knowledge in the biomedical sciences. We strive to provide our graduates with the foundation to excel in whatever scientific endeavors they pursue in the future.

Research interests:
Current research interests in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology include: structure and function studies of DNA polymerases including reverse transcriptases; molecular modeling of substrate enzyme interactions; vitamin D-mediated regulation of gene expression; function and regulation of synthesis of neuronal calcium binding protein, regulation of opioid peptide gene expression and molecular consequences of drug addiction; regulation of DNA and RNA synthesis in normal and neoplastic cells; RNA processing and translational controls as mechanisms of gene expression regulation;   mitochondrial protein biogenesis and degradation and mitochondrial genome integrity and expression; and mechanisms of hormone action and membrane structure including the process of signal transduction.

Additional information can be found at
http://bmb.umdnj.edu/lab_home/index.html   

Program Director
Dr. Carol Lutz
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School
Newark, NJ 07101
Telephone Number: (973) 972-0899
E-mail:  lutzcs@umdnj.edu

Our Faculty

Michael B. Mathews, Ph.D., Professor and Chairman
Program Director:  Carol Lutz, Ph.D.
Professors: Christakos, Howells, Kumar, Lea, Mathews, Modak, Wagner
Associate Professors: Birge, Cunningham, Goldsmith, Kotenko, Li, Lutz, Pandey, Rogers
Assistant Professors: Barnes, Kaushik-Basu, Lee, O’Connor, Suzuki, Tian, Wah

Curriculum Program Requirements

Courses and Recommended Curriculum

Our curriculum comprises required [20 credits] and elective [14 credits] courses, developed by the faculty. The other 6 credits are derived from research rotations. Some of the courses are team taught with an interdisciplinary faculty (e.g., Molecular Methods, Protein Structure/Function, Nucleic Acids); others are taught by a single faculty member (e.g., Signaling Mechanisms in Biological Systems, Molecular Oncology). Our faculty also participates in developing and teaching the interdisciplinary Core Curriculum, Molecular and Cellular Biology, a required course [8 credits]. Departmental courses are largely discussion based, rather than lecture based. Both written and oral exams are used to evaluate student achievement. Laboratory courses provide students with hands-on experience in laboratories of their choice. Our Seminar in Biochemistry course and Critical Reading course are specifically designed to provide students with experience in analysis and oral presentation of data.

It is important to note that research training is vital to student training. We encourage students to join our program early and complete a rotation in the summer before coursework begins. Our rotations are designed to provide the students with quality research experiences, and they supplement the didactic courses taken. In addition, the rotations are graded. Many of our students are able to accomplish enough during their rotation work to be included as an author on a publication.

To prepare graduates for entry into the next step of their professional career, students are given formal courses in research techniques ( Molecular Methods, Biochemical Techniques), seminar presentations (Critical Reading, Seminar in Biochemistry), and grant writing (Effective Proposal Writing Strategies). Students in year 3 and beyond give a research seminar every year based on their own research work and plans. Thus, there is training and continuous oversight of research progress by the thesis advisory committee (which meets twice/year) and the Department in the Seminar in Biochemistry course.

We encourage students to write fellowships and to attend meetings. These experiences will be extremely beneficial to their scientific careers.  We also encourage students to receive outside training such Cold Spring Harbor courses, and some students even participate in laboratory interchange programs to expand and hone specific experimental skills.

Qualifying Exam

After approximately four semesters of successful course work, students prepare a written research proposal that they defend in an oral exam , which comprises the qualifying exam.

Within 6 months of passing the qualifying exam, the student in consultation with his/her mentor is required to form a thesis advisory committee and write a formal thesis proposal for approval by the advisory committee. After that, formal meetings of the advisory committee are required at 6 month intervals. A record of such meetings is maintained in the Department and sent to GSBS.

Capstone or concluding requirements for advancement and graduation include the requirement that students earn a grade of ‘B’ in mandatory Departmental courses and an average of ‘B’ in all courses. The thesis defense is a formal examination that determines whether the PhD degree will be awarded and whether revisions to the dissertation or additional research work is required. The publication of three original research articles, on one of which the candidate is first author or equivalent, is an expectation for completing the degree. At least one of these articles must be accepted or published at the time of the thesis defense.

What opportunities/expectations are there for students to participate in publications and professional meetings?
Students are expected to conduct original research under the supervision of their chosen mentor with a goal of writing at least 3 research papers, one of which must have the student as a senior author. Students are encouraged to complete their dissertation research within 6-8 semesters after the qualifying exam so that they can graduate in a ~ 5-7 year period. Thesis advisory committees work hard to steer students to this time schedule.  Each student is required to present his/her research work at least once a year in the annual GSBS symposium. In addition, students are encouraged to attend and present their work at one of the many national meetings. GSBS defrays part of the cost for such meetings; the balance comes from the mentor’s funds and studentships.

Do students have an opportunity to teach?
Students have an opportunity to teach one-on-one by working with rotation/ summer/ undergraduate/ high school students. Most have found these experiences to be highly rewarding.

Do you offer a course or program on career/survival skills?
Students are required to participate in a recently re-vamped grant proposal writing course offered by our Department. This course has received excellent reviews from the students who benefited from it, and they reported that it was terrific help in their preparation for the Qualifying Exam.

 Do you discuss career options other than academia?
Yes, we discuss all sorts of career options with our students. We try to accommodate different career pathways by introducing our students to industry, teaching, legal and financial opportunities available to scientists.