Northwestern University
Integrated Program in Life Sciences
Chicago, Illinois
Overview
Northwestern University is a privately supported, independent, nondenominational, and coeducational institution founded in 1851 by people determined to create "a university of the highest order of excellence." The undergraduate schools are located on the Evanston campus, about 13 miles north of the Chicago Campus. Among the 2,300 full-time students enrolled in The Graduate School at Northwestern, about 250 are on the Chicago campus. There are also about 1,500 full-time students on the Chicago campus in the medical, business, and law schools.
Currently, there are approximately 125 predoctoral IGP students and more than 100 postdoctoral fellows on the Chicago campus. The group represents widely distributed areas of the United States and other countries. IGP students share courses and labs with members of other life science programs, such as the Northwestern University Institute for Neuroscience (NUIN) and the Interdepartmental Biological Science program (IBiS). Several students enrolled in the combined MD/Ph.D. degree program belong to the IGP.
Most Ph.D. graduates continue training in postdoctoral positions, primarily in preparation for careers in teaching and research at universities and in industry. Of 23 recent Ph.D. graduates, 18 entered postdoctoral training, 2 sought additional degrees, 2 were employed by law or biotech firms, and 1 took a college faculty position.
The Community
The Medical School is located on the shores of Lake Michigan in the midst of a large medical and scientific complex. Chicago has substantial cultural, recreational, commercial, and sports activities. Many of these are within walking or a short commuting distance of the downtown Chicago campus. On campus, the Lake Shore Center residence has a pool, squash and racquetball courts, a basketball court, a weight room, and a gymnasium, as well as a pub and student lounges.
Programs of study and degree requirements
The Integrated Graduate Program in the Life Sciences (IGP) is a multidisciplinary doctoral training program designed to prepare students for a research career in cellular, molecular, and integrative biology. Areas of concentration include cancer biology, cell biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, immunology and microbial pathogenesis, molecular biology and genetics, neurobiology, pharmacology and toxicology, structural biology, and biochemistry.
The IGP is designed to provide graduate students with a broad range of research training opportunities by permitting them to select a research adviser from among all faculty members in the IGP, regardless of departmental affiliation. The large number and diversity of research interests of the life sciences faculty on campus create a highly stimulating environment for graduate training and research. Participating faculty members are drawn from the Departments of Cell and Molecular Biology, Microbiology-Immunology; Pathology, Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Physiology, and several clinical departments. Students take core courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology during the first year. Each program requires two to three additional courses and two to three electives. Students begin research rotations during their first quarter of study. Typically, the student selects a thesis adviser before the end of the summer quarter of the first year. At the end of the winter quarter of the second year, the student must pass a written and oral qualifying examination in order to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. Completion of the doctoral program requires approximately five years. A substantial portion of this time is devoted to thesis research under the guidance of a faculty member.
Facilities & Resources
The participating faculty members occupy modern laboratories that are well equipped for research in their areas of interest. Each department has central facilities that are shared by all its research groups, such as culture rooms and dishwashing services, common equipment rooms that house major instrumentation, and computing facilities. There are also campuswide and University-wide facilities, such as transgenic mouse facilities; a state-of-the-art biotechnology center with nucleic acid and protein sequencing and synthesizing instrumentation, digital detection instruments, and chip array technology; a modern microscopy center, including a laser confocal microscope and transmission and scanning electron microscopes; a modern image-processing facility; animal-care facilities; machine shops; and electronics services. Numerous departmental reading rooms contain specialized journals and books, while the Galter Health Sciences Library contains more than 300,000 bound volumes and receives more than 2,500 biological sciences serials.
Expenses and Aid
Costs:
Tuition is typically included as part of the fellowship award and subsequent support. Student group health insurance benefits are provided in full.
Furnished rooms and apartments are available in Abbott Hall and Lakeshore Center, both located on Lake Shore Drive within one block of the research laboratories. Abundant and reasonably priced off-campus housing is located within convenient walking or commuting distance. Campus parking for students commuting more than two miles is available.
Financial Aid:
Typically, all entering students are provided full tuition support and a stipend for living expenses. The stipend level is $25,000. Stipend and tuition are provided for the entire period of residence for students in good standing. Entering students are initially supported for six quarters (eighteen months) by predoctoral University fellowships. In subsequent years, tuition and stipends are provided from faculty research grants, outside scholarships, teaching assistantships, training grants, or special graduate fellowships.
How to Apply / Application
Students are admitted only to a course of study leading to a Ph.D. Applicants for admission should have a strong undergraduate background in the basic biological, chemical, and physical sciences and a compelling dedication to a research career in basic biomedical sciences. Applications must include a statement describing goals for graduate study, research interest and experience, and reasons for applying for graduate study. The GRE General Test is required, and, for international applicants, the TOEFL is also required with a minimum score of 600. All students enter the graduate program at the beginning of the fall quarter. Evaluation for admission is based on previous academic achievement, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation. Applications should be submitted to the Graduate School by December 31.
Who to Contact
Dr. Steven Anderson
Northwest University Medical School
Integrated Graduate Program
303 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611
800-255-4166
E-mail: igp@northwestern.edu
THE FACULTY AND THEIR RESEARCH
• Michael Abecassis, M.D. Cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation.
• Stephen Adam, Ph.D. Nuclear structure and support.
• Ashok Aiyar, Ph.D. Synthesis and maintenance of Epstein-Barr Virus genome.
• Guenter Albrecht-Buehler, Ph.D. Cell motility.
• Wayne Anderson, Ph.D. Crystallographic studies of protein interactions.
• Terry Barrett, M.D. Oral tolerance; mucosal immune system.
• James Bartles, Ph.D. Plasma membrane differentiation; cell polarity.
• Daniel Batlle, M.D. Ion transport in renal tubular cells.
• Gerhard Baumann, M.D. Releasing factor and pituitary hormones.
• Lester Binder, Ph.D. Microtubules and neurodegenerative disease.
• Martha Bohn, Ph.D. Neurotrophic factors and gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
• Jayme Borensztajn, M.D., Ph.D. Atherosclerosis; plasma lipoproteins.
• Gary Borisy, Ph.D. Structural and dynamic organization of cytoplasm.
• Navdeep Chandel, Ph.D. Tumor cell responses to oxygen deprivation.
• Robert Chatterton Jr., Ph.D. Endocrinology; pharmacology; biochemistry in reproduction.
• Anjen Chenn, M.D., Ph.D. Regulation of cell fate and proliferation in CNS.
• Rex Chisholm, Ph.D. Cell motility; morphogenesis; myosin; dynein; molecular motors and disease.
• Nicholas Cianciotto, Ph.D. Pathogenesis of Legionella pneumophila; Legionnaires' disease.
• Neil A. Clipstone, Ph.D. T-cell signal transduction; NF-AT family transcription factors.
• Susan Cohn, M.D. Molecular biology of human neuroblastomas.
• Vincent Cryns, M.D. Apoptosis and caspase-mediated proteolysis.
• Marian Dagosto, Ph.D. Primate evolution: functional morphology, systematics, paleontology.
• Syamal Datta, M.D. Autoimmunity and regulation of B-cell function.
• David Dean, Ph.D. Nuclear transport of plasmids and gene therapy vectors.
• Robert Decker, Ph.D. Protein turnover and intercellular junctions in organogenesis.
• John Disterhoft, Ph.D. Neurobiology of learning.
• Margarita Dubocovich, Ph.D. Monoamine receptors in the retina, brain, and other organs.
• Elizabeth Eklund, M.D. Molecular biology of late myeloid differentiation.
• David Engman, M.D., Ph.D. Autoimmunity, heat shock proteins, parasites, heart disease.
• Douglas Freymann, Ph.D. X-ray crystallography of GTPase; signal recognition particle.
• Karla Fullner-Satchell, Ph.D. Vibrio cholerae RTX toxin and host-pathogen interactions.
• Jaime García-Añoveros, Ph.D. Genetic dissection of touch in Caenorhabditis elegans.
• Robert Goldman, Ph.D. Cell motility; structure and function of cytoplasmic filament systems.
• Kathleen Green, Ph.D. Analysis of desmosomes and keratins.
• Adrian Gross, M.D. Structure and function of ion channels.
• Kasturi Haldar, Ph.D. Protozoan and bacterial entry and development in mammalian cells.
• Alan Hauser, M.D., Ph.D. Type III secretion in Pseudomonas.
• Sui Huang, Ph.D. Structure/function of perinucleolar compartment.
• Mary Hunzicker-Dunn, Ph.D. Protein hormone action; regulation of adenylyl cylase; protein kinase.
• Philip Iannaccone, M.D., D.Phil. Tumor clonality; preimplantation; reproductive toxicity.
• Carolyn Jahn, Ph.D. DNA rearrangements in ciliates.
• J. Larry Jameson, M.D., Ph.D. Nuclear receptors; gene transcription; cell signaling; genetic diseases.
• Jonathan Jones, Ph.D. Assembly of intercellular junctions; development of epithelial tissues.
• Geoffrey Kansas, Ph.D. Selections in leukocyte adhesion and migration.
• Yashpal Kanwar, M.D., Ph.D. Glomerular basement membranes.
• William Karpus, Ph.D. Pathogenesis and regulation of autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
• Dixon Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D. Immunobiology of islet transplant rejection.
• Byung Kim, Ph.D. Antigen processing; T-cell activation; viral immunity; viral disease.
• Jhumku Kohtz, Ph.D. Sonic hedgehog in telencephalic development.
• Peter Kopp, M.D. Molecular basis of thyroid and endocrine disease.
• James Kramer, Ph.D. Genetics and development in C. elegans.
• Lou Laimins, Ph.D. In vitro studies of papillomavirus infection.
• Chung Lee, Ph.D. Role of hormones in tumor growth.
• Jonathan Leis, Ph.D. Retrovirus replication, reverse transcription, integration.
• Honglin Li, Ph.D. Caspases and Bcl-2 family members in apoptosis.
• Liming Li, Ph.D. Structural properties of prion proteins.
• Jon Lomasney, M.D. Alpha receptors in cardiac myocytes.
• Richard Longnecker, Ph.D. Latent infection by Epstein-Barr virus.
• William Lowe Jr., M.D. Transcriptional regulation of insulin-like growth factor expression.
• Thomas McGarry, M.D., Ph.D. Control of cell division during development.
• Richard Miller, Ph.D. Calcium channels in nerve communication and neurodegenerative disease.
• Stephen Miller, Ph.D. Immunoregulation of T-cell-mediated immune responses.
• Bernard Mirkin, M.D., Ph.D. Growth and differentiation of neural ectoderm-derived cells.
• Toshio Narahashi, Ph.D. Electrophysiology and pharmacology of nerve and synaptic membrane diseases.
• Zoltan Oltvai, M.D. Intercellular regulation of apoptosis.
• Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D. Transforming growth factor beta in cancer development.
• Leonidas Platanias, M.D., Ph.D. Signal transduction in malignant cells.
• Richard Pope, M.D. Immune mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis.
• Matthew Ravosa, Ph.D. Functional anatomy of the primate cranium.
• Janardan Reddy, M.D. Carcinogenesis and peroxisome proliferators.
• Steven Rosen, M.D. Immune mechanisms in carcinomas.
• Kathleen Rundell, Ph.D. Functions of viral tumor antigens.
• Vijay Sarthy, Ph.D. Retinal development and degeneration.
• Richard Scarpulla, Ph.D. Gene regulation, transcription factors, intracellular signaling, mitochondrial disease.
• Anthony Schaeffer, M.D. Molecular pathogenesis of urinary tract infections.
• H. William Schnaper, M.D. Cell-matrix interactions; extracellular matrix proteases.
• H. Steven Seifert, Ph.D. Mechanisms of pilus antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
• Brian Shea, Ph.D. Evolutionary morphology of primates.
• Teepu Siddique, M.D. Genetics of human motor neuron disorders.
• Eugene Silinsky, Ph.D. Synaptic transmission, ATP, electrophysiology.
• Hans-Georg Simon, Ph.D. Pattern formation; limb development; limb regeneration.
• Greg Smith, Ph.D. Herpesvirus transport in the nervous system.
• Gerald Soff, M.D. Cyclic-GMP-dependent gene expression.
• Patricia Spear, Ph.D. Molecular mechanism of herpesvirus infection.
• M. Sharon Stack, Ph.D. Regulation of matrix proteases.
• Paula Stern, Ph.D. Mechanisms of bone formation and resorption.
• D. James Surmeier, Ph.D. Modulation of neuronal excitability.
• Francis Szele, Ph.D. Neurogenesis in the adult subventricular zone.
• Bayar Thimmapaya, Ph.D. Transcription factors, genetics, cancer, metastasis, adenovirus, E1A.
• Warren Tourtellotte, M.D., Ph.D. Egr transcription factors in the central nervous system.
• Linda Van Eldik, Ph.D. Calcium-modulated proteins in cell function.
• Robert Vasser, Ph.D. Molecular basis of Alzheimer's disease.
• Olga Volpert, Ph.D. Mechanisms of angiogenesis inhibitors.
• Carl Waltenbaugh, Ph.D. Immune modulation by alcohol.
• David Walterhouse, M.D. Function/regulation of the oncogene GLI.
• Zhou Wang, Ph.D. Apoptosis and cell proliferation in the prostate.
• D. Martin Watterson, Ph.D. Calcium in signal transduction and as a regulator of homeostasis in eukaryotes.
• Sig Weitzman, M.D. Chronic inflammation and malignancy.
• Susan Winandy, Ph.D. Transcriptional regulation of T-cell development.
• Chau Wu, Ph.D. Mode of action of environmental toxins on nerve membrane ion channels.
• Nabeel Yaseen, M.D., Ph.D. Nuclear transport and leukemia.
• Jay Yeh, Ph.D. Mechanisms of action of local anesthetics on nerve and cardiac ion channels.
• James Young, M.D. Physiological regulation of the sympathoadrenal system.
• Yijun Zhu, M.D. Estrogen receptor coactivators and breast cancer development.