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Stanford Biosciences

Program Overview

Graphic showing the organization of the Stanford Biosciences PhD programs

When you join Stanford Biosciences, you join a collaborative network tackling some of the world’s toughest questions.  The Stanford Biosciences Home Programs comprise nine departments and five interdisciplinary programs, which span the School of Medicine and the School of Humanities and Sciences. These Home Programs are the foundation of our collaborative culture, offering students the opportunity to tailor their graduate education by working within an entire network of faculty, labs, and approaches to pursue their research.

Each student is admitted to a particular Home Program and initiates training with a core group of faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows who share scientific interests. Many Home Programs host annual retreats—facilitating the exchange of ideas between Stanford colleagues and fostering team-building—as well as seminar series that invite outside speakers.

In addition to that intimate setting, all Biosciences students have access to faculty in every Home Program for laboratory rotations and potential thesis work. One of Stanford Biosciences’ biggest strengths is the physical proximity of programs and labs, encouraging face-to-face collaboration and feeding an environment of interdisciplinary innovation. Indeed, the Biosciences PhD Programs combine the supportive atmosphere of a small program with the many opportunities afforded by a large umbrella program—the best of both worlds.

A closer look

The 14 Home Programs in Stanford Biosciences’ collaborative network:

Biochemistry

Illustration of an organic moleculeThe mission of the Biochemistry Graduate Program is to provide research training that spawns leaders in academia, biotech, and beyond. Our faculty seek to understand fundamental biological questions at the level of how molecules act and interact so that we can discover the mechanisms behind their highly complex, intra- and intercellular processes. Two noteworthy features: We share all space and equipment, and students and postdocs are intermixed to enhance collaboration. All faculty—including seven members of the National Academy of Sciences and one Nobel laureate—are engaged in the department’s mission and espouse philosophies of community spirit.

Department website | Find Faculty


Related programs


Bioengineering

Study for the PhD in Bioengineering combines rigorous coursework with novel research mentored by Stanford faculty, enabling students to develop as independent intellectual leaders working at the interfaces between biology, medicine, engineering, and the physical sciences. Our mission is to train students at the intersection of biomedicine and engineering in both academia and the burgeoning biomedical and biotechnology industries. Applicants should have a commitment to learning and a passion for research.

Program website | Find Faculty