Grad Profiles - Cornell Biochemistry

Overview
Cornell University was founded in 1865. The Graduate School provides an environment within which scholarly capability is encouraged to emerge and thrive.

Cornell University offers active and diverse programs in art, music, theater, and sports throughout the year.

Currently, there are 80 graduate students in the Field. There are approximately 19,000 students on Cornell's Ithaca campus, nearly 5,900 of whom are enrolled in various graduate and professional schools.

The Location and Community
Ithaca, a city with a population of more than 30,000, is at the tip of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, which is nearly 250 miles northwest of New York City. The Cornell campus of 740 acres overlooks the city and the lake. The area's hills, valleys, lakes, and gorges, with numerous parks and trails, make a pleasing environment. Many organizations and activities oriented toward students are available in Ithaca as well as on the campus.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, which includes professors from several departments at Cornell University, offers a program of graduate study leading to the Ph.D. degree. The broad objective of the program is to develop the student's ability to do independent research and to provide the student with fundamental training in molecular and cell biology. An important feature of the Cornell plan for graduate study is the provision for direction of each student by a special committee selected by the student. Each student selects two professors from the Field and one professor from another field, such as genetics or chemistry.

Most of the background courses, including several graduate lecture courses and an advanced laboratory technique course in molecular and cellular biology, are taken during the first academic year. In addition, every student carries out short research projects under three different professors chosen by the student. This exposure to research work not only gives the student broad research training, but also helps the student to select a thesis adviser at the end of the first academic year. In the second year, the student begins thesis research and participates in the teaching program.

There are several excellent seminar series. The speakers include distinguished scientists from other institutions as well as from Cornell.

The research interests of the 48 faculty members in the Field cover a wide range of areas in biochemistry and molecular and cell biology. The Field includes not only faculty members in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, but also members with primary appointments in other departments, such as applied and engineering physics, chemistry, neurobiology and behavior, and pharmacology. The areas of particular strength are gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, membrane structure and function, the cytoskeleton, membrane trafficking, protein structure at high resolution, signal transduction and oncogene function, biophysical chemistry, and bioenergetics.

Facilities & Resources
The laboratories are exceptionally well equipped for the research programs. Most of the laboratories of the Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, together with those of the Field of Genetics and Development, are housed in the Biotechnology Building in the heart of campus. This is the largest research facility at Cornell. Support facilities available in the same building include oligonucleotide and peptide synthesis, protein sequencing, flow cytometry, and light and electron microscopy. The CHESS synchrotron X-ray source used by some labs is nearby.

Expenses and Aid
Financial Aid:
The Field provides all students with a stipend of $24,500 for twelve months, plus full health insurance coverage and a waiver of tuition and fees. There are employment opportunities in the University for students' spouses.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Approved housing facilities are offered both on and off campus for single and married graduate students. Most single students are able to support themselves on their stipends.

How to Apply
Application forms are available from July to December and may be obtained from the Field. Applications for admission are due by January 5 for the following fall, and are approved by April 15. Scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are required. Students are encouraged to apply early and take the GRE in the fall; the Subject Test should be taken in one of the following: biology; chemistry; or biochemistry, cell and molecular biology.

Who to Contact

Graduate Studies
Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology
107 Biotechnology Building
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853-2703

607-255-2100

Fax: 607-255-6249

E-mail: bmcb@cornell.edu

The Faculty

• E. E. Alani, Ph.D., Harvard, 1990. Genetic and biochemical studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae aimed at understanding the role of DNA mismatch repair in maintaining genome stability. Mol. Cell. Biol. 23:873, 2003 (with Argueso et al.).

• B. A. Baird, Ph.D., Cornell, 1979. Biophysical chemistry: structure and function of cell membrane receptor proteins involved in immunological responses. J. Biol. Chem. 278:20746, 2003 (with Ryan and Holowka). J. Cell Sci. 116:3177, 2003 (with Gidwani et al.).

• T. P. Begley, Ph.D., Caltech, 1983. Enzyme mechanism; DNA photochemistry; cofactor biosynthesis; functional genomics. Biochemistry 42:12430-8, 2003.

• A. Bensadoun, Ph.D., Cornell, 1960. Lipases; proteoglycans; structure, function, molecular biology, and regulation of transcription and secretion. J. Biol. Chem. 277:10037-43, 2002 (with Yagyu et al.). J. Lipid Res. 43:671-5, 2002 (with Gonzalez-Navarro et al.). J. Lipid Res. 43:2136-45, 2002 (with Conde-Knape et al.).

• A. P. Bretscher, Ph.D., Leeds (England), 1974. Integration of cell signaling, cytoskeletal organization, and membrane traffic in the functional polarity of yeast and animal cells. Mol. Cell Biol. 3:586-99, 2002. Science 297:612-15, 2002.

• W. J. Brown, Ph.D., Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 1981. Membrane trafficking and organelle biogenesis; receptor-mediated protein transport. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95:8642-7, 1998.

• R. A. Cerione, Ph.D., Rutgers, 1979. Mechanisms of receptor-coupled signal transduction; particular emphasis on the actions of cellular growth receptors and small G-proteins and on the mechanisms of vertebrate vision. Cell 114:715-25, 2003.

• R. H. Chen, Ph.D., Harvard, 1993. Regulation of the metaphase to anaphase transition by a cell cycle checkpoint; analysis in frog egg extracts and in yeast. Nature Cell Biol. 5:748-53, 2003 (with Chung).

• R. Collins, Ph.D., Imperial College (London). Mechanism of action of Rab GTPases. Mol. Cell 12:1064-6, 2003. J. Cell Biol. 163:57-69, 2003.

• S. E. Ealick, Ph.D., Oklahoma, 1976. X-ray crystallography; protein structure and function; biological applications of synchrotron radiation; structure-based drug design. Biochemistry 42:2386-95, 2003.

• G. W. Feigenson, Ph.D., Caltech, 1974. Nonideal mixing and phase behavior of cholesterol-phospholipid mixtures. Biophys. J. 80:2775-88, 2001 (with Buboltz).

• T. D. Fox, Ph.D., Harvard, 1976. Regulation of mitochondrial genes; targeting and assembly of the proteins they encode. EMBO J. 22:5951-61, 2003 (with Perez-Martinez and Broadley).

• J. Fu, Ph.D., Pittsburgh, 1994. Yeast RNA polymerase II at 5 resolution. Science 288:640-9, 2000 (with Cramer et al.).

• B. Ganem, Ph.D., Columbia, 1972. Biosynthesis of aromatic compounds; structure-function of bioactive carbohydrates; structure-based drug design. Tetrahedron Lett. 44:6829, 2003 (with Wang).

• M. L. Goldberg, Ph.D., Stanford, 1979. Drosophila genetics: genes required for proper chromosome segregation and morphology. Mol. Biol. Cell 14:1379-91, 2003 (with Williams et al.).

• J.-L. Guan, Ph.D., California, San Diego, 1987. Signal transduction in cell migration and cell-cycle regulation; mouse models of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Mol. Cell 11:1503-15, 2003. Mol. Biol. Cell 13:3178-91, 2002. J. Biol. Chem. 277:45655-61, 2002.

• M. R. Hanson, Ph.D., Harvard, 1976. Plant organelle gene expression; RNA editing; nuclear-organelle interactions. Mol. Cell Biol. 22:8448-56, 2002 (with Chateigner-Boutin).

• J. D. Helmann, Ph.D., Berkeley, 1987. Bacterial sigma factors; mechanisms and regulation of transcription in bacteria. Mol. Microbiol. 49:1477-91, 2003.

• S. A. Henry, Ph.D., Berkeley, 1971. cDNA cloning of phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase from spinach by complementation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and characterization of the recombinant enzyme. Genetics 162:29-43, 2002 (with Chang and Jones).

• G. P. Hess, Ph.D., Berkeley, 1953. Development and use of rapid reaction methods and instrumentation to study the function of neurotransmitter receptors and other protein-mediated reactions on cell surfaces with submillisecond time resolution. Biophys. Chem. 100:493-506, 2003. Biochemistry 42:6106-14, 2003.

• P. C. Hinkle, Ph.D., NYU, 1967. Structure and function of membrane transporters. Biochemistry 30:3576-82, 1991.

• T. C. Huffaker, Ph.D., MIT, 1982. Mitotic spindle structure and function in yeast. J. Cell Biol. 161:483-8, 2003 (with Hwang et al.).

• K. J. Kemphues, Ph.D., Indiana, 1981. Cell biology of early embryonic development in C. elegans; establishment of cell polarity. Dev. Biol. 253:54-65, 2003 (with Hurd). Cell 101:345-8, 2000.

• W. L. Kraus, Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1994. Transcriptional activation by nuclear hormone receptors and coactivators; chromatin and transcription. EMBO J. 22:600-11, 2003 (with Cheung and Schwabish).

• S. G. Lazarowitz, Ph.D., Rockefeller. Virus-host interactions; nuclear shuttling in plant cells. Plant Cell 15:1605-18, 2003 (with McGarry et al.).

• J. T. Lis, Ph.D., Brandeis, 1975. Promoter-associated pausing in promoter architecture and post-initiation transcriptional regulation. Science 301:1094-6, 2003 (with Saunders et al.).

• J. Liu, Ph.D., Cornell, 1996. Molecular genetics of mesodermal cell fate specification in C. elegans; function of nuclear envelope proteins in C. elegans development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 100:4598-603, 2003.

• J. B. Nasrallah, Ph.D., Cornell, 1977. Molecular genetics of self-incompatibility in plants; receptor-mediated signaling in plant cell-cell recognition. Science 293:1824-6, 2001 (with Kachroo et al.).

• L. K. Nicholson, Ph.D., Florida State, 1990. NMR spectroscopy; relationships between protein structure, dynamics, and function; rational drug design. J. Mol. Biol. 324:991-1002, 2002. J. Mol. Biol. 313:873-87, 2001. Nat. Struct. Biol. 8:47-51, 2001.

• N. Noy, Ph.D., Tel Aviv, 1982. Transcriptional regulation by nuclear hormone receptors. Mol. Cell. Biol. 22:5114-27, 2003. Cancer Res. 63:4426-33, 2003. Mol. Cell. Biol. 22:2632-41, 2002.

• J. W. Roberts, Ph.D., Harvard, 1970. Regulation of gene expression: transcription mechanisms, control of DNA repair functions. Genes Dev. 17:1281, 2003.

• H. A. Scheraga, Ph.D., Duke, 1946. Peptide and protein structure; biophysical chemistry. Biochemistry 42:10783-9, 2003.

• D. I. Shalloway, Ph.D., MIT, 1975. Computational protein structure and biology. Phys. Rev. E: Stat. Phys., Plasmas, Fluids 67:056704, 2003. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98:6098-103, 2001.

• D. B. Stern, Ph.D., Stanford, 1986. Regulation of plant organelle gene expression; nucleic acid-protein interactions; nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions. J. Biol. Chem. 278:25832-8, 2003 (with Bollenbach).

• P. J. Stover, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1990. Regulation of folic acid-mediated one-carbon metabolism; determination of metabolic role of leucovorin; elucidation of factors that contribute to serine hydroxymethyltransferase gene expression; regulation of glycine synthesis. J. Biol. Chem. 277:38381-90, 2002 (with Herbig et al.).

• D. J. Thiel, Ph.D., Cornell, 1992. Characterization of the active site of ADP-ribosyl cyclase. J. Biol. Chem. 274:30770-7, 1999 (with Munshi et al.)

• B.-K. Tye, Ph.D., MIT, 1974. Developmental and cell cycle regulation of DNA replication in eukaryotes; chromosome structure and function. Mol. Biol. Cell. 14:2206-15, 2003 (with Christensen). J. Biol. Chem. 278:25408-16, 2003 (with Fitch et al.). J. Biol. Chem. 278:6093-100, 2003 (with Chang et al.).

• V. M. Vogt, Ph.D., Harvard, 1971. Structure and assembly of retroviruses. J. Virol. 76:5452-62, 2002 (with Ma).

• M. Wang, Ph.D., Michigan, 1993. Molecular motors; mechanics of gene expression and regulation; RNA polymerase; nucleosomes; biopolymers. Phys. Rev. Lett. 91:028103, 2003 (with Koch).

• W. W. Webb, Sc.D., MIT, 1955. Cellular and membrane biophysics; molecular mobility; channel molecules and transmembrane signaling; fluctuations and physical optics. Science 299:682-6, 2003.

• G. R. Whittaker, Ph.D., Leeds (England), 1982. Entry of enveloped viruses into host cells. J. Virol. 77:460-9, 2003. J. Virol. 76:10455-64, 2003. Traffic 4:333-43, 2003.

• D. B. Wilson, Ph.D., Stanford, 1966. Enzyme mechanisms, gene regulation, and bacterial metal transport. Eur. J. Biochem. 270:3083-91, 2003 (with Irwin et al.).

• M. F. Wolfner, Ph.D., Stanford, 1981. Molecular genetics of seminal fluid proteins that influence the mated Drosophila female's behavior, sperm storage, and life span; molecular analysis of Drosophila egg activation and the transition to embryonic mitotic divisions. Dev. Biol. 244:429-41, 2003 (with Yu and Garfinkel). Genetics 160:211-24, 2002 (with Lung et al.).

• J. F. Wootton, Ph.D., Cornell, 1960. Structure-function relationships of proteins: synthesis and employment of photolabile compounds to investigate intracellular events in signal transduction. J. Org. Chem. 67:3474-8, 2002.

• R. Wu, Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1955. Cloning and expression of eukaryotic genes; rice gene analysis; production of agronomically important transgenic rice plants. Mol. Breed. 10:71-82, 2002 (with Cheng et al.). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99:15898-903, 2002 (with Garg et al.).