Department of Biochemistry

Graduate Studies

General Information

The Department of Biochemistry is the administrative home of the Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. A major goal of this program is to foster your ability for independent thought. To this end, our faculty cultivates an open, collegial relationship with one another and with our students. Close collaboration between scientists, the sharing of ideas, and open inquiry are critical components of our training plan. Our goal is to develop your independence as a scientist.

The hallmarks of graduate training in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are the emphasis placed on the use of the scientific literature in advanced coursework and on protecting time for laboratory research. In addition, you will have time for professional development through seminar presentation, attendance of national meetings, teaching opportunities, and seminar programs both within the department and throughout the Health Sciences Center.

Faculty research in the program can provide the student with training in multiple basic sciences areas:

Regulation of gene expression
RNA processing
Cell survival mechanisms
Intermediary metabolism
Regulation of signal transduction by nutrients and metabolites
Drug-receptor interactions
Nutritional biochemistry
Oxidant-induced cellular stress
Structure/function relationships of proteins
Molecular basis of sensory mechanotransduction in hair cells
Molecular genetics of visual and auditory development
G protein-mediated signaling in retina photoreceptors
Genetic basis of age-related macular degeneration

These research areas provide fundamental knowledge toward both the normal health state and the amelioration of multiple diseases:

Atherosclerosis
Blindness
Cancer
Deafness
Diabetes
Metabolic Disorders

Please take some time to peruse our website and gain detailed information about the program. By clicking on "Curriculum" you can see a sample plan of study and the courses that you can expect, as well as how our curriculum meshes with the undifferentiated first year curriculum. Click on "Faculty" and see a description of each faculty member's research program. "Handbook" provides a description of the graduate program. Each semester we offer a seminar series and invite world-class scientists to the Department.

What you can't see from our Web site is perhaps more important. At West Virginia University we offer our graduate students significant amounts of individual attention. We pride ourselves on the friendly atmosphere in our Department and throughout the Health Sciences Center. Students receive both academic and professional development via courses in the sciences and training in seminar presentation, manuscript writing, and professional ethics. The graduates of our program can be found in industry positions, at the National Cancer Institute, in teaching positions and throughout the academic research community. We also can't show you the beauty of West Virginia, the convenience of life in the small town of Morgantown, or the ease of reaching Pittsburgh for major league sports, excellent museums, arts, restaurants and cosmopolitan ambiance.