The Department of Biology offers undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral training in basic biology, and in a variety of biological fields of specialization. The quantitative aspects of biology, including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology, represent the core of the program. Students in the department are encouraged to acquire a solid background in the physical sciences not only to master the applications of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to biology, but also to develop an integrated scientific perspective. The various programs, which emphasize practical experimentation, combine a minimum of formal laboratory exercises with ample opportunities for research work both in project-oriented laboratory subjects and in the department's research laboratories. Students at all levels are encouraged to acquire familiarity with advanced research techniques and to participate in seminar activities.
The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Biology is designed to prepare students for a professional career in the area of the biological sciences. Graduates of this program are well prepared for positions in industrial or research institutes. However, experience has shown that many graduates choose to continue their education at a graduate school in order to obtain a PhD in an area such as biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, biophysics, cell biology, or physiology, followed by research or teaching in one of those areas. The undergraduate curriculum is also excellent preparation for students who wish to continue their education toward an MD, particularly if their career plans include laboratory investigations bearing on human disease.
Course 7-A is designed for students who wish to obtain a background in biology as preparation for careers without laboratory research. Course 7-A has the same requirements as Course 7, and requires 180 units beyond the GIRs, except that it does not require a 30-unit laboratory subject. To satisfy the requirement that students complete two Communication Intensive subjects in the major, students must take 7.02/10.702 or 20.109, and one subject from this list of approved CI-M subjects for Course 7-A: 3.014, 3.042, 5.33, 5.36, 5.38, 7.19, 8.13, 9.02, 9.12, 9.18, 9.63, 10.26, 10.28, 10.29, or 2.791J/6.021J/20.370J. Further details on the 7-A major and CI-M subjects may be obtained from the department.
Additional information regarding undergraduate academic programs and research opportunities may be obtained from the Biology Education Office, Room 68-120, MIT, 617-253-4718, undergradbio@mit.edu.
Students should use their elective subjects for more advanced subjects in their field and for additional study in basic and advanced subjects offered in various departments.
The requirements for a Minor in Biology are as follows:
| 5.12 | |
Organic Chemistry I |
| 7.03 | Genetics | |
| 7.05 | General Biochemistry | |
| Two additional subjects from: 7.02/10.702 or 20.109; 7.06, 7.08J, 7.20J, 7.21, 7.22, 7.23, 7.24, 7.25, 7.27, 7.28, 7.29J, 7.31, 7.35, 7.36, and 7.37J. |
For a general description of the minor program, see Undergraduate Education in Part 1.
The Department of Biology offers graduate work leading to the Doctor of Philosophy. Study may be pursued in the following fields of specialization.
Biochemistry is the study of enzyme catalysis, and the chemical properties of proteins, carbohydrates, complex lipids, nucleic acids, and protein-nucleic acid complexes. Methods of analysis include gene cloning, the use of genetic variants, synthetic substrates, and transition state analogs. Specific areas of study include the chemistry of oncogenes, mechanism of RNA splicing, analysis of cytoskeletal proteins, chemistry of blood coagulation, mechanism of ion pumps and photoreceptors, and the role of complex carbohydrates in cell surface function and protein compartmentalization.
Biophysical chemistry and molecular structure focuses on studies of the principles that underlie the folding, stability, molecular design, and assembly of proteins and nucleic acids. Analysis of molecular structure includes X-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Specific areas of concentration include the study of genetic strategies for enhancing the stability, ligand affinity, and catalytic efficiency of proteins and enzymes; pathways of protein folding; protein-nucleic acid recognition; and antigen-antibody interactions. Studies of more complex systems include the control of viral and cytoskeletal assembly.
Cell biology refers to molecular biological, genetic, and cell biological analysis of eukaryotic cells. The specific areas of research include the organization, expression, and regulation of eukaryotic genomes; structure and function of membranes and cytoskeletons; molecular basis of cellular structure, organization, proliferation, and movement; differentiation and functions of specialized cell types; and the molecular basis of various diseases.
Computational and systems biology is a very recent area of emphasis in the department that is being co-developed with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Division of Biological Engineering as part of the Computational and Systems Biology Initiative (CSBi). Computational and systems biology combines biology, engineering, and computer science in a multi-disciplinary approach to the systematic analysis of complex biological phenomena. Equal emphasis is placed on computational and experimental research and on molecular and systematic views of biological function. One major role of CSBi research is to develop methods and devices that can measure, in a systematic and precise manner, the biochemical properties of large numbers of biomolecules in cells, tissues, and whole organisms. A second major CSBi goal is to build mathematical models of biological systems that link mechanistic understanding of molecular function to systems-wide knowledge of networks and interactions. Like models in mature engineering disciplines, CSBi models will capture empirical knowledge as it accumulates and will have the ability to predict experimental outcomes.
Developmental biology refers to the cellular, genetic, and molecular mechanisms responsible for generating the diversity of cell types that arise during development, and controlling the ways in which cells interact to produce organ systems and whole organisms. These problems are studied using vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. Specific topics of interest include the regulation of gene expression, cell interactions, cell lineages, cell migrations, sex determination, stem cells, and cloning.
Genetics/microbiology includes genetic analyses of fundamental problems in bacteria, bacteriophage, viruses, and yeast. Areas of specific interest include protein secretion, DNA transposition, protein turnover, DNA synthesis and repair, mechanisms of genetic recombination, and electron transport in mitochondria. More complex problems under study are cellular responses to stress, plant-bacterial interactions, high resolution structure-function studies of proteins and RNAs, and the control circuits regulating gene expression. A new area of study is the application of high resolution molecular techniques to problems in human genetics.
Immunology is the study of the genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms underlying the exquisite sensitivity and specificity of the immune system. The immunology group studies the chemistry of antigen-antibody and antigen-T cell receptor interactions, using the tools of molecular biology as well as classical immunological approaches. Of particular interest is the role of idiotypic and cellular interactions in the regulation of the immune system as studied by organ culture, hybridoma technology, and the behavior of transgenic mice.
Neurobiology is an area of recent emphasis in the department. The subject in general neurobiology is supplemented by a seminar series and an interlaboratory journal club. The emphasis is molecular, primarily using cell-biological, developmental, and genetic approaches. Present areas of research interest include the molecular determinants of neuronal diversity and shape; of cell-adhesive, cell-inductive, and synaptic interactions; and the genetic and molecular determinants of cell-lineages, memory storage, and sensory transduction.
In the Department of Biology, the Master of Science is not a prerequisite for a program of study leading to the doctorate.
The department modifies the General Institute Requirements for admission to graduate study as follows: 18.01, 18.02 Calculus; one year of college physics; 5.12 Organic Chemistry I; professional subjects including general biochemistry, genetics, and physical chemistry. However, students may make up some deficiencies over the course of their graduate work.
The General Institute Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy are listed under Graduate Education in Part 1. In the departmental program, each graduate student is expected to acquire a solid background in four fundamental areas of biology: biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology. Most students take subjects in these areas during the first year. All students are required to take three subjects: 7.52 Genetics for Graduate Students, 7.51 Principles of Biochemical Analysis, and 7.50 Method and Logic in Molecular Biology. This last subject is a seminar designed specifically to introduce graduate students to in-depth discussion and analysis of topics in molecular biology.
Students also have a choice of several elective subjects, which have been designed for the entering graduate student. In addition to providing a strong formal background in biology, the first-year program serves to familiarize the students with faculty and students in all parts of the department.
MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution administer a joint program in biological oceanography leading to a jointly awarded Doctor of Philosophy. The program is described at the end of Part 2.
Students who are accepted into the graduate program are provided with support from departmental training grants, departmental funds for teaching assistants, and research grants. In addition, some students bring NSF and other competitive fellowships. Through these sources, full tuition plus a stipend for living expenses are provided.
Students are encouraged to apply for outside fellowships for which they are eligible, such as the National Science Foundation Fellowships. Information regarding graduate student fellowships is available at most colleges from the career planning office.
Additional information regarding graduate academic programs, research activities, admissions, financial aid, and assistantships may be obtained from the Biology Education Office, Room 68-120, MIT, 617-253-3717, gradbio@mit.edu.
Chris Kaiser, PhD
Professor of Biology
MacVicar Faculty Fellow
Department Head
Uttam L. RajBhandary, PhD
Lester Wolfe Professor of Molecular Biology
Associate Head
Angelika Amon, PhD
Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Tania Baker, PhD
Whitehead Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
David Bartel, PhD
Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Stephen Bell, PhD
Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Jianzhu Chen, PhD
Cottrell Professor of Immunology
Sallie W. Chisholm, PhD
McAfee Professorship in Engineering
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Biology
Martha Constantine-Paton, PhD
Professor of Biology
Investigator, McGovern Institute for Brain Research
Gerald R. Fink, PhD
ACS Professor of Genetics
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Frank Gertler, PhD
Ross Scholar Professor of Biology
Alan Davis Grossman, PhD
Praecis Professor of Biology
Leonard Pershing Guarente, PhD
Novartis Professor of Biology
Nancy Haven Hopkins, PhD
Amgen Professor of Biology
H. Robert Horvitz, PhD
David H. Koch Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
David Evan Housman, PhD
Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research
Richard Olding Hynes, PhD
Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Barbara Imperiali, PhD
Ellen Swallows Richards Professor of Chemistry and Biology
Tyler Edwards Jacks, PhD
Koch Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Director, Center for Cancer Research
Rudolf Jaenisch, MD
Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Jonathan Alan King, PhD
Professor of Biology
Monty Krieger, PhD
Whitehead Professor of Molecular Genetics
Charles F. Hopewell Faculty Fellow
Eric S. Lander, PhD
Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Director, Broad Institute
Douglas Lauffenburger, PhD
Whitaker Professor of Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biology
Head, Biological Engineering Department
Jacqueline Lees, PhD
Professor of Biology
Ludwig Scholar
Associate Director, Center for Cancer Research
Susan L. Lindquist, PhD
Professor of Biology
Harvey Franklin Lodish, PhD
Professor of Biology and Bioengineering
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Paul Thomas Matsudaira, PhD
Professor of Biology and Bioengineering
Chair, Computational and Systems Biology Initiative
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Director, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research/MIT Bioimaging Center
Dianne K. Newman, PhD
John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Biology
Terry L. Orr-Weaver, PhD
American Cancer Society Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
David Conrad Page, MD
Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Director, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Mary Lou Pardue, PhD
Boris Magasanik Professor of Biology
Hidde Ploegh, PhD
Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
William G. Quinn, PhD
Professor of Neurobiology
Alexander Rich, MD
William Thompson Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics
Leona Samson, PhD
Ellison American Cancer Society Professor
Professor of Toxicology and Biological Engineering
Director, Center for Environmental Health Sciences
Robert Thomas Sauer, PhD
Luria Professor of Biology
Phillip Allen Sharp, PhD
Institute Professor
Morgan H. Sheng, MBBS, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Anthony John Sinskey, ScD
Professor of Microbiology
Hazel Louise Sive, PhD
Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Associate Dean of Science
Frank Solomon, PhD
Professor of Biology
Lisa Amelia Steiner, MD
Professor of Immunology
JoAnne Stubbe, PhD
Novartis Professor of Chemistry and Biology
Susumu Tonegawa, PhD
Picower Professor of Biology and Neuroscience
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Graham Charles Walker, PhD
American Cancer Society Professor of Biology
Robert Allen Weinberg, PhD
Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research
American Cancer Society Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Matthew Wilson, PhD
Professor of Neurobiology
Richard Allen Young, PhD
Professor of Biology
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Christopher Burge, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology
Catherine L. Drennan, PhD
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Amy Keating, PhD
Sizer Career Development Associate Professor of Biology
Troy Littleton, MD, PhD
Middleton Associate Professor of Neurobiology
Carlos Lois, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurobiology
Elly Nedivi, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurobiology
David Sabatini, PhD
Linda and Howard Stern Career Development Associate Professor of Biology
Associate Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Michael B. Yaffe, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology
Laurie A. Boyer, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Michael Hemann, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Dennis Kim, PhD
Swanson Career Development Assistant Professor of Biology
Michael Laub, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Peter Reddien, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Associate Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Aviv Regev, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Thomas Schwartz, PhD
Pfizer-Laubach Career Development Assistant Professor of Biology
Stephanie Capaldi, PhD
Michelle Mischke, PhD
Robyn Tanny, PhD
Mandana Sassanfar, PhD
Dae-Sung Choi, PhD
Viji Draviam, PhD
Suzanne Gaudet, PhD
Janet George, PhD
Robert Grant, PhD
Caroline Koehrer, PhD
Parvathi Kota, PhD
Catherine Lee, PhD
Philip Lessard, PhD
Ky Lowenhaupt, PhD
T. Sambandan, PhD
Carolyn Sevier, PhD
Shuquan Shen, PhD
Peter Weigele, PhD
Laura Willis, PhD
David Baltimore, PhD
Professor of Biology, Emeritus
Eugene Bell, PhD
Professor of Biology, Emeritus
Gene Brown, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus
John Machlin Buchanan, PhD, DSc
Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus
Arnold Lester Demain, PhD
Professor of Industrial Microbiology, Emeritus
Herman Nathaniel Eisen, MD
Professor of Immunology, Emeritus
Senior Lecturer
Maurice Sanford Fox, PhD
Professor of Molecular Biology, Emeritus
Malcolm Lawrence Gefter, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus
Har Gobind Khorana, PhD
Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Biology and Chemistry, Emeritus
Senior Lecturer
Jerome Ysrael Lettvin, MD
Professor of Electrical and Bioengineering and Communications Physiology,
Emeritus
Irving M. London, MD
Grover M. Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, Emeritus
Professor of Biology and Medicine, Emeritus
Boris Magasanik, PhD
Jacques Monod Professor of Microbiology, Emeritus
Senior Lecturer
Sheldon Penman, PhD
Professor of Cell Biology, Emeritus
Phillips Wesley Robbins, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus
Robert Daniel Rosenberg, MD, PhD
Whitehead Professor of Biology
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Paul Reinhard Schimmel, PhD
John D. MacArthur Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Emeritus
Ethan Royal Signer, PhD
Professor of Biology, Emeritus
Annamaria Torriani, PhD
Professor of Biology, Emerita
Senior Lecturer