- Program Chair:
Ehud Isacoff - Head Graduate Advisor:
Susan Marqusee
To ensure that each of its students receives the necessary formal training and research experience to develop a successful career, the Biophysics Group created an academic program that is tailored to the meet the needs of each student individually. This involves evaluating each student's background and providing individual academic counseling to recommend appropriate coursework, and offering a wide choice of research opportunities in the laboratories of Group faculty. To provide the greatest possible breadth and flexibility, students, with the aid of their academic advisor, can tailor their coursework to come from any department in the university. As a testament to the success of the program, the students it attracts have been consistently of the highest caliber and many graduates hold positions in universities and research institutions in the United States, including here at Berkeley. By providing a means for students seeking to contribute to both the physical and biological sciences, the Graduate Group in Biophysics plays a unique and essential role on the Berkeley campus.
In addition to the regular departmental courses listed under each department, the Biophysics Group offers a Survey of Biophysics graduate course every year. This course meets once per week and exposes students to the full range of modern biophysical research. Each week a different faculty member presents a lecture that provides an overview of a field of biophysics, and a more detailed discussion of exemplar modern projects.
Biophysics 293A (Offered Every Fall Semester):
Faculty Evening Research Presentations
One and a half hours of seminar weekly. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. The seminar offers first-year students the opportunity to hear faculty speak on the breadth of research opportunities available within the program. Undergraduate students interested in biophysics are also welcome to attend.
Biophysics 293B (Offered Every Spring Semester):See also: Biophysics Courses
Student Evening Research Presentations
One and a half hours of seminar weekly. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. The student seminar offers advanced students the opportunity to present their research to peers in an informal setting. Required of first, second, and third year Biophysics students.
Each graduate student is assigned a Graduate Advisor, a faculty member from the Biophysics Group who is the official liaison from the Graduate Division in matters affecting the graduate students in the group. The objective of both the Graduate Division and the Advisor is to ensure the best possible education of students and to guide them through the various steps necessary to attain the degree in Biophysics. The student should confer with their Graduate Advisor to select the sequence of courses best suited to prepare them for the qualifying examination and research work. Students are also encouraged to seek advice from a wide variety of sources, such as other faculty members and student peers. Students must have their program of study approved by the Graduate Advisor of the Group.
During the first year of the degree program, all students are required to take two Preliminary Evaluations. These oral exams, each lasting approximately 45 minutes, assess the student's undergraduate knowledge in both biological and physical sciences. The evaluations are carried out by students in an informal setting; their purpose is to serve as a guideline for academic advising by faculty. The subject matter corresponds to core-level courses that are necessary in an undergraduate major both in biology and physical science. The Biological Science Evaluation covers topics in biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics. The Physical Science Evaluation covers physics, chemistry or engineering (as deemed appropriate for the student's situation), math through differential equations and linear algebra, and physical chemistry.
The 2009 Annual Biophysics Retreat will be held at the Marconi Conference center from September 25-27.
Past Retreats:
