Vanderbilt University
Biological Sciences
Nashville, Tennessee
Overview
Vanderbilt University is a private, coeducational institution founded in 1873. The University consists of the College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering, Divinity School, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, George Peabody College of Teachers, Graduate School, School of Law, Owen Graduate School of Management, and Blair School of Music. Vanderbilt has a long tradition of academic excellence and a distinguished record in scholarship and research.
Vanderbilt has about 9,500 students, 4,000 of whom are studying for graduate or professional degrees. The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program admits approximately 75 students and the Department of Biological Sciences directly admits approximately 5 students each year. The department has 40 to 50 students in the Ph.D. program.
Graduates have pursued a variety of career options. Many initially undertake postdoctoral studies at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Chicago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and La Jolla Cancer Center, among others. Many of these students have moved into more permanent academic positions at such institutions as Stanford, LSU, NIH, La Jolla Cancer Center, Texas A&M, and Case Western Reserve. Others have pursued industrial positions at companies such as Sterling Research Group; Merck, Sharp, and Dome; and Hoffmann-LaRoche. A few graduates have pursued careers in biotechnology/patent law by going to law school at such institutions as Berkeley and Columbia.
The Location and Community
Nashville is the capital of Tennessee. In this city of about half a million there are more than a dozen institutions of higher learning that enrich the intellectual interests and social outlook of the community. There is a rich cultural and musical life based on the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (host to plays, musicals, concerts, ballets, operas, and symphony performances), the Grand Ole Opry, and an extensive recording industry for country, rock, and gospel music. Old Hickory and Percy Priest Lakes and surrounding parks offer recreational facilities less than 30 minutes from the University; boating, fishing, hiking, and camping areas abound.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Biological Sciences is a new entity formed from the coalescence of the Departments of Biology and Molecular Biology at Vanderbilt University. Research activities in the new department encompass the study of biology at the molecular, subcellular, cellular, organismal, population, and community levels. Fields of study available to graduate students include ecology and evolutionary biology, neurobiology and behavior, biological clocks, developmental biology, cell biology, molecular genetics, biochemistry, molecular biophysics, and structural biology.
Depending upon the specific interests of the student, undergraduate backgrounds emphasizing biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, or physics course work are recommended. Students interested in obtaining a Ph.D. degree in biological sciences may apply for direct admission in the Biological Sciences Graduate Program, or they may enter through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in the Biomedical Sciences. During the first year in the program, students engage in course work that reflects their scientific interests and also gain valuable experience in research by completing at least two laboratory rotations.
Students typically finalize their selection of a mentor and begin research in the laboratory of their choice by May of their first year.
Facilities & Resources
The department is housed in a newly completed $100-million, state-of-the-art building with an adjoining molecular biology wing. This building complex is shared with several programs in the Medical Center and is adjacent to the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. Excellent library and computer facilities are also nearby. The department is well equipped with major instrumentation, which allows students and faculty members to pursue studies requiring electron or fluorescence microscopy, automated DNA sequencing, X-ray diffraction, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Shared resources include a research greenhouse and a 2,000-tank zebrafish facility.
Expenses and Aid
Tuition and fees are paid by the program for all students; support is from traineeships, fellowships, and University assistantships.
Financial Aid:
Awards to students carry stipends and also cover tuition. In addition, at the time of application, applicants may compete for Harold S. Vanderbilt graduate scholarships, which provide an additional $3000-$5000 stipend to students of exceptional accomplishment and high promise.
Housing/Living Expenses:
Graduate students may choose to live on or off campus. University apartments are available for graduate students and married couples. Information on housing is available from the Office of Housing, Box 1677, Station B.
How to Apply
Applications are due by January 15, but those received subsequently are considered if vacancies exist. Students holding degrees in the physical or biological sciences may apply. Students are advised to take the Graduate Record Examinations, including a Subject Test appropriate to the student's background, as early as possible. Detailed information on research programs, curricula, and financial aid is sent upon request.
Who to Contact
Dr. Todd R. Graham
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Biological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1634
615-322-3245
E-mail: bioscidgs@vanderbilt.edu
Faculty and Research
Research interests of the faculty members range from biomolecular structure determination at atomic resolution to the study of ecosystems and evolutionary biology. Individual projects include protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography, fiber diffraction, or nuclear magnetic resonance; protein chaperone influence on the cytoskeleton; protein transport and sorting; glycoprotein biosynthesis; regulation of gene expression through pre-mRNA packaging and splicing; regulation of DNA replication in mammalian cells and synthesis of telomeres in yeast; calcium homeostasis; thiamine utilization; Dictyostelium development; embryonic and neural development in zebrafish; molecular and neural basis of biological clocks; organization of mammalian sensory systems; nervous system development and function in Drosophila; olfaction in insect disease vectors; insect neuropeptides and hormones; parasitology and immune response to parasites; evolution in structured populations; evolutionary ecology of species interactions; ecology of speciation; physiological and community ecology of plants.
• Patrick Abbot, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Arizona. Arthropod behavior and speciation; molecular evolutionary genetics of microbes.
• Bruce H. Appel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Utah. Genetic, molecular, and cellular analysis of neural development in zebrafish.
• Kendal Broadie, Professor; Ph.D., Cambridge. Genetic dissection of synapse development; function and plasticity.
• John M. Burke, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Ph.D., Georgia, 1999. Molecular evolution of plants; genetics of speciation.
• Clint E. Carter, Professor; Ph.D., UCLA. Immune system regulation during infection with Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas' disease); genetic analysis of risk factors for disease morbidity.
• Kenneth C. Catania, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., California, San Diego. Mammalian sensory systems, with a focus on the organization and development of sensory cortex and its relationship to behavior.
• Brandt F. Eichman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Oregon State. Structure and function of protein complexes involved in DNA repair and replication; X-ray crystallography.
• Ellen Fanning, Stevenson Professor of Molecular Biology; Dr.rer.nat., Cologne (Germany). Molecular elucidation of the mechanisms that control DNA replication in mammalian cells.
• Katherine L. Friedman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Telomerase function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Daniel J. Funk, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Stony Brook. Ecology and evolution of specialized insect herbivores.
• Todd R. Graham, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Saint Louis. Protein transport and sorting in the secretory pathway.
• Hans-Willi Honegger, Professor; Ph.D., Tübigen (Germany). Establishment of the cellular location, mechanism of release, and receptor for the neurohormone bursicon initiation cuticle sclerotization in insects and crustacea.
• Carl H. Johnson, Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Molecular, cellular, and evolutionary analyses of circadian clocks.
• Andrezej M. Krezel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin-Madison. The use of multidimensional heteronuclear NMR to investigate protein-protein interactions exemplified by TGF-beta receptors and their ligands.
• Manuel Leal, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis). Behavioral ecology in reptiles; evolution of animal communication; predator-prey interactions.
• Wallace M. LeStourgeon, Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin. Molecular mechanisms of premessenger RNA processing and the function of RNA chaperonins in normal and cancer cells.
• David E. McCauley, Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Stony Brook. Studies of the influence of population genetic structure on evolution using a combination of theoretical, field, and molecular approaches.
• Douglas McMahon, Professor; Ph.D., Virginia. Molecular neurobiology of the visual and circadian systems of the brain.
• Tom N. Oeltmann, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Georgia. Biosynthesis, processing, and sorting of lysosomal enzymes in lower eukaryotes with an emphasis on the human parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi.
• Terry L. Page, Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin. Regulation by the nervous system of daily (circadian) rhythms in physiology and behavior.
• James G. Patton, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Mayo. Control of gene expression at the RNA level focusing on the mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing and the regulation of alternative splicing.
• Charles K. Singelton, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue. Regulation of timing and pathway choice during development by sensory histidine kinases; mechanisms of thiamine utilization and thiamine deficiency-induced brain diseases in humans.
• Lilianna Solnica-Krezel, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin. Genetic and cellular basis of inductive and morphogenetic events that establish the body plan of zebrafish embryos.
• Gerald Stubbs, Professor; D.Phil., Oxford. X-ray crystallography; fiber diffraction; filamentous plant virus structure; virus-host interaction.
• Laurence J. Zwiebel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Brandeis. Molecular basis of olfaction and its role in host selection of Anopheline mosquitoes, which are the major vectors for malaria transmission.
• Professors Emeriti
• Burton J. Bogitsh, Ph.D., Virginia. Cytochemistry of helminthic parasites.
• William G. Eickmeier, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin. Plant ecology, particularly physiological mechanisms of plant adaptation to stressful physical environments such as deserts.
• Sidney Fleischer, Professor; Ph.D., Indiana. Cell signaling via calcium as second messenger; heart and muscle physiology; intracellular calcium release channels; gene knockout and transgenic mice.
• Oscar Touster, Ph.D., Illinois. Processing of glycoproteins, particularly in regard to Golgi membrane functions, lysosomal diseases, and nerve-cell metabolism.
• John H. Venable, Ph.D., Yale. Biophysical investigation of the structure and function of proteins and nucleic acids.
• Dean P. Whittier, Ph.D., Harvard. Morphology and development of fern gametophytes, with emphasis on the mycorrhizal gametophytes of the Psilotaceae, Lycopodiaceae, and Ophioglossaceae.
• Robley C. Williams Jr., Professor; Ph.D., Rockefeller. Biochemical and biophysical approaches to molecular chaperones and protein folding, emphasizing their involvement in formation of the cytoskeleton.