Interdisciplinary Opportunities
Building synergies with special and often interdisciplinary training programs is a hallmark of our PhD program. These programs help our students develop a broad set of research and professional skills and create vibrant intellectual communities.
For example, seminar courses such as Advances in Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms (BGGN 290) and Plant Post-genomics and Systems Biology (BGGN 227) are open to all graduate students. This is also true for the annual symposia and special career workshops (e.g., How to Choose and Structure a Postdoctoral Position) created by the training programs.
- Cell and Molecular Genetics (CMG) Training Program (Directors: Drs. Amy Pasquanelli and Randy Hampton): NIH-sponsored program that has been a cornerstone of the PhD training effort in Biological Sciences for over 30 years. Provides rigorous training for students interested in the molecular mechanisms of a diverse array of biological phenomena.
- Plant Systems Biology (PSB) Training Program (Director: Julian Schroeder): NSF-sponsored program that has created a unique interdisciplinary program training students at the interface of systems biology, proteomics, computational genomics, network dynamics, and plant sciences.
- Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Program (Director: Dr. Steven Wasserman): This program creates opportunities to admit more graduate students, especially from underrepresented groups. The GAANN training program is creating special leadership and outreach opportunities, as well as supervised teaching experiences to train graduate students to join the nation’s work force as researchers and teachers committed to excellence in biology.
- Genetics Training Program: UC San Diego’s complements our outstanding research environment with specialized coursework and seminars in the area of quantitative analytical methods of both classical and modern genetics as well as emerging genomic approaches.
- San Diego Center for Systems Biology (SDCSB): (PI: Alex Hoffmann, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department) the SDCSB adds new courses available for our graduate students, such as Systems Biology and Bioengineering (BENG 211), which covers components of biological systems, their biochemical properties and function, and the technology used for obtaining, deciphering, and mining component lists. MSSBC will also offer special Systems Biology Workshops on gene expression, data analysis, and cytoscape and post-genomics classes.
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology: This program trains interdisciplinary researchers in the area of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology. The program provides our graduate students with opportunities to learn algorithmic and statistical techniques and new high-throughput technologies for understanding the function of genes on a genome-wide scale.
- Specialization in Anthropogeny: A transdisciplinary graduate specialization in Anthropogeny is available for Ph.D. students in the Biological Sciences and other disciplines. Information on requirements for this specialization is available through the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA). The specialization provides students an opportunity to specialize in research and education on the origins of humans. Top areas include:
- Human and Primate Genetics and Evolution
- Paleoanthropology and Hominid Origins
- Mammalian and Primate Neurosciences
- Primate Biology and Medicine
- Language and Cognition
- Nature-Nurture Interactions in Explaining Language and Cognition
- Human and Primate Society and Culture
- Comparative Developmental Biology or Primates
- General Theories for Explaining Humans
Additionally, the doctoral program in Biological Sciences offers unique specializations for students interested in focusing their studies in these areas. View a complete list of these and their requirements on our Curricular Tracks page.
