MIT Department of Biology: Biology at MIT

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The Department of Biology offers undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral training programs ranging from general biology to more specialized fields of study and research. The quantitative aspects of biology — including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology — represent the core of the academic program. Courses are designed to provide a solid background in the physical sciences and to develop an integrated scientific perspective.

Both the graduate program — ranked among the top biological science graduate programs in the nation (US News & World Report, 2007 rankings) — and undergraduate program offer students an intellectually stimulating environment, with numerous research opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities. These programs emphasize practical experimentation by combining course-related laboratory exercises with research opportunities in project-oriented and faculty-sponsored laboratories. Students at all levels are encouraged to acquire familiarity with advanced research techniques and to participate in seminar activities.

Current areas of research in the Department include: cellular, developmental, molecular, and structural biology; classical and molecular genetics; biochemistry and immunology; microbiology, neurobiology, and computational and systems biology. In many cases the research projects of any single laboratory extend across more than one category. Our research facilities are located in the Koch Biology Building, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, the Center for Cancer Research, the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the Broad Institute.

The Department has over 60 distinguished faculty — some with joint appointments in the departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemistry, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Some faculty are also members of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the Center for Cancer Research, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, the Broad Institute, and the Biological Engineering Division (BE).

Biology boasts 4 Nobel Laureates, 29 National Academy of Sciences members, 11 Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, and several active Emeriti faculty.

The Biology Department also hosts a weekly seminar, the Biology Colloquium, on Tuesday afternoons throughout the academic year. The Colloquium features distinguished researchers from all areas of biology, medicine, and related fields.

For more information on the history of the life and evolution of the Department of Biology, see the MIT Libraries Archives website.