mit computational biology phd program

Precision Medicine and Medical Genomics

Image Credit: Xinchen Wang

Research in Precision Medicine and Medical Genomics at MIT seeks to use genomic data and modern high-throughput experimental and computational approaches to interrogate disease mechanisms, generate molecular subclassifications of disease and work towards precision targeted therapies.

Scientists track evolution of microbes on the skin’s surface

A new analysis reveals how Staphylococcus aureus gains mutations that allow it to colonize eczema patches .

Sara Prescott

Li-huei tsai, katie galloway, qin (maggie) qi, francisco j. sánchez-rivera, kristin knouse m.d., ph.d., ifrah tariq, matthew leventhal, mapping the brain at high resolution.

New 3-D imaging technique can reveal, much more quickly than other methods, how neurons connect throughout the brain.

Events Calendar

Computational and Systems Biology PhD Program

Visit Department Website

The program seeks to train a new breed of quantitative biologists who can take advantage of technologies at the leading edge of science and engineering to tackle fundamental and applied problems in biology. Our students acquire: (i) a background in modern molecular/cell biology; (ii) a foundation in quantitative/engineering disciplines to enable them to create new technologies as well as apply existing methods; and (iii) exposure to subjects emphasizing application of quantitative approaches to biological problems.  Our program and courses emphasize the logic of scientific discovery rather than mastering a specific set of skills or facts.  The program includes teaching experience during one semester of the second year.  It prepares students with the tools needed to succeed in a variety of academic and non-academic careers.

Department/Lab/Center (DLC)

[email protected]

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events

Recent Events

Science in fiction: representation of molecular..., recent activity.

No recent activity

Followers (10)

• Contact the Events Calendar Team
• Academic Calendar
• Visitor Information
• Campus tours and Info Sessions
• Info Center
• Directions and Parking
• Accessibility

Follow MIT at

• Twitter: @MITEvents , @MIT
• Facebook: facebook.com/MITnews
• Instagram: @MIT

This website is maintained by Institute Events and Institute Office of Communications .

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139-4307

Powered by the Localist Community Events Calendar ©

Login to MIT Events Calendar

Login to interact with events, personalize your calendar, and get recommendations.

Office Directory

Csb: computational systems biology phd program.

MIT Department of Biological Engineering

Search form

• DEI Collaborative
• DEI Current Efforts
• DEI Newsletter
• Learning Resources
• Faculty Directory
• Staff Directory
• Open Faculty Positions
• Prospective Undergraduate
• Major Degree Requirements
• Minor Programs
• Undergraduate Thesis
• Research Prize
• BE Student Life
• Career Resources
• Master's Degree
• Graduate PhD Application
• Application Assistance Program
• Graduate FAQ
• Graduate Life
• Meet The Graduate Students
• PhD Course Requirements
• Advisor Selection
• Thesis Committee
• PhD Oral Exam
• PhD Dissertation Requirements
• BE Graduate Student Board
• Teaching Assistant Award Winners
• BE Communication Lab
• Research Areas
• Wishnok Prize
• BATS Resources
• BATS Archive
• For Undergraduate Students
• Professional Development
• For Post Docs
• Covid-19 Resources
• Laboratory Safety
• Faculty & Instructors

Application for PhD studies in BE

Applying to the Biological Engineering PhD program

Thank you for your interest in MIT BE - we want to receive your application! This page explains the application process and provides information specific to our program that you may use to strengthen your application. Our intensive evaluation process begins with your electronic application folder and proceeds through an on-site interview.

We believe that our diverse, welcoming, and collaborative community fosters the most effective environment for PhD students to learn from our faculty how to meet the challenges of conducting path-breaking research in Biological Engineering. To maintain and further strengthen our culture, it is important that we continue to receive applications representing a broad range of academic backgrounds and individual experiences. From 2019-2022, we invited applicants from 64 different undergraduate institutions holding and expecting bachelors degrees in many different disciplines to interview for admission. Of applicants invited to interview from 2019-2022, about 52% self-identified as female, and more than 18% self-identified as underrepresented minorities (as defined by MIT prior to 2023). Many students join the program immediately after completing their undergraduate studies, while others have already received advanced degrees or acquired post-baccalaureate professional experience.

The guidance below is intended to help prospective students understand the aspects of academic preparation and individual experience that poise applicants for success in our program and how to present this information effectively in their application materials. This guidance is not intended to describe any “ideal” application profile or minimum standards for admission (no quantitative standards exist). Every complete application received is reviewed holistically by BE faculty.

Application to MIT BE is very competitive, with approximately 5% of applicants receiving an invitation to interview in recent years (we offer admission to the majority of interviewees). Applicants holding international undergraduate degrees may apply, and such applicants received about 3% of the interview invitations made from 2019-2022. Interview invitations are communicated asynchronously to applicants in January and February each year. Many domestic and international applicants with interests in quantitative and applied biological research at MIT also consider the PhD programs in  Computational and Systems Biology , Chemical Engineering , Biology , Chemistry , and Health Science and Technology . MIT allows applications to more than one program in the same year, and we recommend that applicants indicate all the programs they are applying to on their BE application to maximize their chances for a successful match.

Evaluation of applications for PhD study in BE particularly focuses on:

• Evidence of strong academic preparation and demonstrated interest in both a quantitative discipline and a biological discipline
• Evidence of aptitude for and experience/accomplishment in scientific or engineering research
• Explanation of interest in pursuing a career that leverages PhD-level training in Biological Engineering under the guidance of MIT BE faculty advisors

Academic preparation.  Success in the challenging coursework and research components of the MIT BE PhD program requires a strong academic background in both biology and quantitative engineering or science. While many successful applicants expect undergraduate engineering degrees and have completed substantial coursework in biology, there are many different ways to demonstrate the academic preparation needed. Applicants whose principal degree is quantitative, computational, engineering, or in the physical sciences can bolster their training in biology by taking core biology courses like biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology. Applicants whose principal degree is in a life science field can acquire quantitative training in courses beyond calculus, biostatistics, and programming/informatics such as differential equations, linear algebra, and advanced courses in probability, statistics, analysis, and computer science.

As each applicant’s personal and college experience is unique and grading practices differ, BE has no minimum grade point average (GPA) requirement. We strongly consider the factors other than GPA described here in our admissions process. However, essentially all applicants receiving an interview invitation have a GPA in the A range (>3.6 on an A = 4.0 scale), and from 2019-2022 the median GPA of interviewees was 3.94. Many applicants with GPAs above 3.9 do not receive interview invitations, and applicants with GPAs below the A range may be competitive for admission in our holistic evaluation process given other extraordinary aspects of an individual applicant’s academic record, experiences, and achievements detailed in their application materials.

Research experience . MIT BE PhD students spend most of their time in the program conducting research in partnership with faculty advisors. Conducting impactful research is a challenging endeavor, and most successful applicants describe a strong track record of research experience and accomplishment. At the same time, we recognize that the nature of accessible research projects and opportunities to publish varies widely across the experiences of individual applicants. We value the skills and personal characteristics important for success in research - including initiative, creativity, and determination - evidenced by any type of work or personal experience. As a result, there are no specific requirements for the duration or number of research experiences, publications, or awards resulting from the research. Some applicants invited to interview have not yet completed any research publications. Successful applicants focus on why they selected the projects and mentors they chose to commit time with, what they did in their major project experiences, and the outcomes of the work including results of the projects themselves and how the experiences influenced the applicant’s evolving academic and career interests.

Applicant statement.  Application statements are free-form opportunities to introduce yourself in writing to the admissions committee, explain your interest in Biological Engineering at MIT, and contextualize other application components including your academic record, research experience, personal experience, and letters of recommendation. The admissions committee wants to hear why PhD-level training in Biological Engineering under the mentorship of MIT BE faculty is right for you, which research groups you may be interested in joining, how you have prepared to receive PhD training, and how this training may power your aspirations for the future. The MIT BE Communications Lab CommKit has additional content on writing statements of purpose . While not a particular focus of our evaluation, statements are opportunities to directly demonstrate your writing skills and attention to detail.

Letters of recommendation  provide crucial evidence of research aptitude in successful applications. The most impactful support letters come from your faculty research supervisor(s) who know you well and have substantial experience advising PhD students. Support letters from other research supervisors, academic advisors, or course instructors may also be included. You can find general guidance (not specific to applications to study in the BE PhD program) on requesting letters of recommendation and on support letter content from the Biological Engineering Communication Lab.

To apply , go to the online application and create a user id and password. You do not need to complete the entire application in one sitting. You may begin the application, save it, and return to it at a later time using your user ID and password.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications ahead of the deadline and are responsible for ensuring that all admissions credentials are submitted on time. Your application will not be reviewed until all materials have been received. There is no separate application for financial support; all admitted applicants are offered a full support package.

MIT BE does not require standardized Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores as part of our application process, but will consider scores if provided by the applicant.

How is the COVID pandemic impacting admissions?

MIT's admissions committees and offices for graduate and professional schools will take the significant disruptions of COVID-19 into account when reviewing applicants’ transcripts and other admissions materials as part of their regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant. BE expects to hold interviews on-site in March after a timely review of public health concerns and applicable governmental and institutional policies and requirements for travel and events.

To apply follow these steps.

1. Fill out the online application by 23:59, EST, December 15.

You will be providing the following information:

• Field(s) of interest
• Personal information/addresses
• International student data
• Three or more names and email addresses of letter writers
• Scanned copies of your College Transcripts
• For international students, scanned copies of your IELTS scores
• Academic preparation and research/work experience
• Applicant statement
• Credit card payment of $75 (Information on requesting a fee waiver is here )

2. Arrange for submission of the following (official reports only):

Scanned PDF transcripts and IELTS scores are considered unofficial documents but are sufficient for review purposes. Official documents are required before an admissions decision can be made. Please have any test scores electronically transmitted to MIT Admissions and mail official copies of your transcript(s) to:

77 Massachusetts Avenue, Bldg. 16-267

Cambridge, MA 02139

For international students:

IELTS scores should also be electronically sent directly to MIT.

• To register for a test, visit http://www.ielts.org
• IELTS does not require a code. Please write "Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology". No address is required as scores are reported electronically.
• If you are an international student, you should take the IELTS test by November 15. The Department of Biological Engineering does not waive this requirement.

The IELTS is waived for applicants who are citizens of Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, or the United Kingdom, or for applicants who have or will earn a BS degree at a US university.

• Skip to Content
• Bulletin Home

• Summer >
• Subjects >

Computational and Systems Biology (CSB)

• Around Campus
• Academic Program
• Administration
• Arts at MIT
• Campus Media
• Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups
• Health Services
• Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center
• Religious Organizations
• Student Government
• Work/​Life and Family Resources
• Advising and Support
• Digital Learning
• Disability and Access Services
• Information Systems and Technology
• Student Financial Services
• Writing and Communication Center
• Major Course of Study
• General Institute Requirements
• Independent Activites Period
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
• First-​Year Advising Seminars
• Interphase EDGE/​x
• Edgerton Center
• Grading Options
• Study at Other Universities
• Internships Abroad
• Career Advising and Professional Development
• Teacher Licensure and Education
• ROTC Programs
• Financial Aid
• Medical Requirements
• Graduate Study at MIT
• General Degree Requirements
• Other Institutions
• Registration
• Term Regulations and Examination Policies
• Academic Performance and Grades
• Policies and Procedures
• Privacy of Student Records
• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
• Art, Culture, and Technology Program
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
• Center for Bits and Atoms
• Center for Clinical and Translational Research
• Center for Collective Intelligence
• Center for Computational Science and Engineering
• Center for Constructive Communication
• Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
• Center for Environmental Health Sciences
• Center for Global Change Science
• Center for International Studies
• Center for Real Estate
• Center for Transportation &​ Logistics
• Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
• Concrete Sustainability Hub
• D-​Lab
• Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation
• Division of Comparative Medicine
• Haystack Observatory
• Initiative on the Digital Economy
• Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
• Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
• Institute for Work and Employment Research
• Internet Policy Research Initiative
• Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
• Knight Science Journalism Program
• Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
• Laboratory for Financial Engineering
• Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
• Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity
• Laboratory for Nuclear Science
• Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
• Lincoln Laboratory
• Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
• Materials Research Laboratory
• McGovern Institute for Brain Research
• Microsystems Technology Laboratories
• MIT Center for Art, Science &​ Technology
• MIT Energy Initiative
• MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
• MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
• MIT Media Lab
• MIT Office of Innovation
• MIT Open Learning
• MIT Portugal Program
• MIT Professional Education
• MIT Sea Grant College Program
• Nuclear Reactor Laboratory
• Operations Research Center
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Plasma Science and Fusion Center
• Research Laboratory of Electronics
• Simons Center for the Social Brain
• Singapore-​MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre
• Sociotechnical Systems Research Center
• Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
• Women's and Gender Studies Program
• Architecture (Course 4)
• Art and Design (Course 4-​B)
• Art, Culture, and Technology (SM)
• Media Arts and Sciences
• Planning (Course 11)
• Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science (Course 11-​6)
• Aerospace Engineering (Course 16)
• Engineering (Course 16-​ENG)
• Biological Engineering (Course 20)
• Chemical Engineering (Course 10)
• Chemical-​Biological Engineering (Course 10-​B)
• Chemical Engineering (Course 10-​C)
• Engineering (Course 10-​ENG)
• Engineering (Course 1-​ENG)
• Computation and Cognition (Course 6-​9)
• Computer Science and Engineering (Course 6-​3)
• Computer Science and Molecular Biology (Course 6-​7)
• Electrical Engineering with Computing (Course 6-​5)
• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (MEng)
• Computer Science and Molecular Biology (MEng)
• Health Sciences and Technology
• Archaeology and Materials (Course 3-​C)
• Materials Science and Engineering (Course 3)
• Materials Science and Engineering (Course 3-​A)
• Materials Science and Engineering (PhD)
• Mechanical Engineering (Course 2)
• Mechanical and Ocean Engineering (Course 2-​OE)
• Engineering (Course 2-​A)
• Nuclear Science and Engineering (Course 22)
• Engineering (Course 22-​ENG)
• Anthropology (Course 21A)
• Comparative Media Studies (CMS)
• Writing (Course 21W)
• Economics (Course 14-​1)
• Mathematical Economics (Course 14-​2)
• Data, Economics, and Development Policy (MASc)
• Economics (PhD)
• Global Studies and Languages (Course 21G)
• History (Course 21H)
• Linguistics and Philosophy (Course 24-​2)
• Philosophy (Course 24-​1)
• Linguistics (SM)
• Literature (Course 21L)
• Music (Course 21M-​1)
• Theater Arts (Course 21M-​2)
• Political Science (Course 17)
• Science, Technology, and Society/​Second Major (STS)
• Business Analytics (Course 15-​2)
• Finance (Course 15-​3)
• Management (Course 15-​1)
• Biology (Course 7)
• Chemistry and Biology (Course 5-​7)
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Course 9)
• Chemistry (Course 5)
• Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (Course 12)
• Mathematics (Course 18)
• Mathematics with Computer Science (Course 18-​C)
• Physics (Course 8)
• Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
• Chemistry and Biology
• Climate System Science and Engineering
• Computation and Cognition
• Computer Science and Molecular Biology
• Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science
• Humanities and Engineering
• Humanities and Science
• Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science
• African and African Diaspora Studies
• American Studies
• Ancient and Medieval Studies
• Applied International Studies
• Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies
• Biomedical Engineering
• Energy Studies
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Environment and Sustainability
• Latin American and Latino/​a Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies
• Polymers and Soft Matter
• Public Policy
• Russian and Eurasian Studies
• Statistics and Data Science
• Women's and Gender Studies
• Advanced Urbanism
• Computational and Systems Biology
• Computational Science and Engineering
• Design and Management (IDM &​ SDM)
• Joint Program with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Leaders for Global Operations
• Microbiology
• Music Technology and Computation
• Operations Research
• Real Estate Development
• Social and Engineering Systems
• Supply Chain Management
• Technology and Policy
• Transportation
• School of Architecture and Planning
• School of Engineering
• Aeronautics and Astronautics Fields (PhD)
• Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making (Course 6-​4)
• Biological Engineering (PhD)
• Nuclear Science and Engineering (PhD)
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Humanities (Course 21)
• Humanities and Engineering (Course 21E)
• Humanities and Science (Course 21S)
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences (PhD)
• Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Fields (PhD)
• Interdisciplinary Programs (SB)
• Climate System Science and Engineering (Course 1-​12)
• Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science (Course 6-​14)
• Interdisciplinary Programs (Graduate)
• Biological Oceanography (PhD)
• Computation and Cognition (MEng)
• Computational Science and Engineering (SM)
• Computational Science and Engineering (PhD)
• Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science (MEng)
• Engineering and Management (SM)
• Leaders for Global Operations (MBA/​SM and SM)
• Music Technology and Computation (SM and MASc)
• Real Estate Development (SM)
• Statistics (PhD)
• Supply Chain Management (MEng and MASc)
• Technology and Policy (SM)
• Transportation (SM)
• Aeronautics and Astronautics (Course 16)
• Aerospace Studies (AS)
• Civil and Environmental Engineering (Course 1)
• Comparative Media Studies /​ Writing (CMS)
• Comparative Media Studies /​ Writing (Course 21W)
• Computational Science and Engineering (CSE)
• Concourse (CC)
• Data, Systems, and Society (IDS)
• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (Course 12)
• Economics (Course 14)
• Edgerton Center (EC)
• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Course 6)
• Engineering Management (EM)
• Experimental Study Group (ES)
• Global Languages (Course 21G)
• Health Sciences and Technology (HST)
• Linguistics and Philosophy (Course 24)
• Management (Course 15)
• Media Arts and Sciences (MAS)
• Military Science (MS)
• Music (Course 21M)
• Naval Science (NS)
• Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
• Special Programs
• Supply Chain Management (SCM)
• Theater Arts (21T)
• Urban Studies and Planning (Course 11)
• Women's and Gender Studies (WGS)
• Music and Theater Arts (Course 21M)
• Special Programs (SP)
• Short Programs
• Admission and Registration
• Tuition and Financial Aid
• Housing and Dining
• Health Plan
• Summer Calendar

Summer Session Representative Jacqueline Carota Room 68-120C [email protected]

No regular classes are offered by the Computational and Systems Biology Program during the summer term.

Current MIT students can take arranged-unit subjects such as Research or Thesis during the Summer Session by prior arrangement with a faculty member.

Print this page.

The PDF includes all information on this page and its related tabs. Subject (course) information includes any changes approved for the current academic year.

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Social justice
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Creating the crossroads

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

A few years ago, Gevorg Grigoryan PhD ’07, then a professor at Dartmouth College, had been pondering an idea for data-driven protein design for therapeutic applications. Unsure how to move forward with launching that concept into a company, he dug up an old syllabus from an entrepreneurship course he took during his PhD at MIT and decided to email the instructor for the class.

He labored over the email for hours. It went from a few sentences to three pages, then back to a few sentences. Grigoryan finally hit send in the wee hours of the morning.

Just 15 minutes later, he received a response from Noubar Afeyan PhD ’87, the CEO and co-founder of venture capital company Flagship Pioneering (and the commencement speaker for the 2024 OneMIT Ceremony).

That ultimately led Grigoryan, Afeyan, and others to co-found Generate:Biomedicines , where Grigoryan now serves as chief technology officer.

“Success is defined by who is evaluating you,” Grigoryan says. “There is no right path — the best path for you is the one that works for you.”

Generalizing principles and improving lives

Generate:Biomedicines is the culmination of decades of advancements in machine learning, biological engineering, and medicine. Until recently, de novo design of a protein was extremely labor intensive, requiring months or years of computational methods and experiments.

“Now, we can just push a button and have a generative model spit out a new protein with close to perfect probability it will actually work. It will fold. It will have the structure you’re intending,” Grigoryan says. “I think we’ve unearthed these generalizable principles for how to approach understanding complex systems, and I think it’s going to keep working.”

Drug development was an obvious application for his work early on. Grigoryan says part of the reason he left academia — at least for now — are the resources available for this cutting-edge work. 

“Our space has a rather exciting and noble reason for existing,” he says. “We’re looking to improve human lives.”

Mixing disciplines

Mixed-discipline STEM majors are increasingly common, but when Grigoryan was an undergraduate, little-to-no infrastructure existed for such an education. 

“There was this emerging intersection between physics, biology, and computational sciences,” Grigoryan recalls. “It wasn’t like there was this robust discipline at the intersection of those things — but I felt like there could be, and maybe I could be part of creating one.”

He majored in biochemistry and computer science, much to the confusion of his advisors for each major. This was so unprecedented that there wasn’t even guidance for which group he should walk with at graduation.

Heading to Cambridge

Grigoryan admits his decision to attend MIT in the Department of Biology wasn’t systematic.

“I was like, ‘MIT sounds great — strong faculty, good techie school, good city. I’m sure I’ll figure something out,’” he says. “I can’t emphasize enough how important and formative those years at MIT were to who I ultimately became as a scientist.”

He worked with Amy Keating , then a junior faculty member, now head of the Department of Biology, modeling protein-protein interactions. The work involved physics, math, chemistry, and biology. The computational and systems biology PhD program was still a few years away, but the developing field was being recognized as important.

Keating remains an advisor and confidant to this day. Grigoryan also commends her for her commitment to mentoring while balancing the demands of a faculty position — acquiring funding, running a research lab, and teaching.

“It’s hard to make time to truly advise and help your students grow, but Amy is someone who took it very seriously and was very intentional about it,” Grigoryan says. “We spent a lot of time discussing ideas and doing science. The kind of impact that one can have through mentorship is hard to overestimate.”

Grigoryan next pursued a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania with William “Bill” DeGrado , continuing to focus on protein design while gaining more experience in experimental approaches and exposure to thinking about proteins differently.

Just by examining them, DeGrado had an intuitive understanding of molecules — anticipating their functionality or what mutations would disrupt that functionality. His predictive skill surpassed the abilities of computer modeling at the time.

Grigoryan began to wonder: Could computational models use prior observations to be at least as predictive as someone who spent a lot of time considering and observing the structure and function of those molecules?

Grigoryan next went to Dartmouth for a faculty position in computer science with cross-appointments in biology and chemistry to explore that question.

Balancing industry and academia

Much of science is about trial and error, but early on, Grigoryan showed that accurate predictions of proteins and how they would bind, bond, and behave didn’t require starting from first principles. Models became more accurate by solving more structures and taking more binding measurements.

Grigoryan credits the leaders at Flagship Pioneering for their initial confidence in the possible applications for this concept — more bullish, at the time, than Grigoryan himself.

He spent four years splitting his time between Dartmouth and Cambridge and ultimately decided to leave academia altogether.

“It was inevitable because I was just so in love with what we had built at Generate,” he says. “It was so exciting for me to see this idea come to fruition.”

Pause or grow

Grigoryan says the most important thing for a company is to scale at the right time, to balance “hitting the iron while it’s hot” while considering the readiness of the company, the technology, and the market.

But even successful growth creates its own challenges.

When there are fewer than two dozen people, aligning strategies across a company is straightforward: Everyone can be in the room. However, growth — say, expanding to 200 employees — requires more deliberate communication and balancing agility while maintaining the company’s culture and identity.

“Growing is tough,” he says. “And it takes a lot of intentional effort, time, and energy to ensure a transparent culture that allows the team to thrive.”

Grigoryan’s time in academia was invaluable for learning that “everything is about people” — but academia and industry require different mindsets.

“Being a PI [principal investigator] is about creating a lane for each of your trainees, where they’re essentially somewhat independent scientists,” he says. “In a company, by construction, you are bound by a set of common goals, and you have to value your work by the amount of synergy that it has with others, as opposed to what you can do only by yourself.” 

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• Generate:Biomedicines
• Department of Biology

Related Topics

• Computer modeling
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E)
• Drug development

Related Articles

Predicting sequence from structure

Research team borrows metal tool for protein engineering, making picky proteins.

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

Summer 2024 recommended reading from MIT

Read full story →

How to increase the rate of plastics recycling

Pioneering the future of materials extraction

The rules of the game

MIT researchers identify routes to stronger titanium alloys

Implantable microphone could lead to fully internal cochlear implants

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

Support Biology

Dei council and dei faculty committee, biology diversity community, mit biology catalyst symposium, honors and awards, employment opportunities, faculty and research, current faculty, in memoriam, areas of research, biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology, cancer biology, cell biology, computational biology, human disease, microbiology, neurobiology, stem cell and developmental biology, core facilities, video gallery, faculty resources, undergraduate, why biology, undergraduate testimonials, major/minor requirements, general institute requirement, advanced standing exam, transfer credit, current students, subject offerings, research opportunities, biology undergraduate student association, career development, why mit biology, diversity in the graduate program, nih training grant, career outcomes, graduate testimonials, prospective students, application process, interdisciplinary and joint degree programs, living in cambridge, graduate manual: key program info, graduate teaching, career development resources, biology graduate student council, biopals program, postdoctoral, life as a postdoc, postdoc associations, postdoc testimonials, workshops for mit biology postdocs entering the academic job market, responsible conduct of research, postdoc resources, non-mit undergraduates, bernard s. and sophie g. gould mit summer research program in biology (bsg-msrp-bio), bsg-msrp-bio gould fellows, quantitative methods workshop, high school students and teachers, summer workshop for teachers, mit field trips, leah knox scholars program, additional resources, mitx biology, biogenesis podcast, biology newsletter, department calendar, ehs and facilities, graduate manual, resources for md/phd students, preliminary exam guidelines, thesis committee meetings, guidelines for graduating, mentoring students and early-career scientists, remembering stephen goldman (1962 – 2022), she’s fighting to stop the brain disease that killed her mother before it gets her.

Jonathan Weissman is the senior author on a recent study on silencing a prion protein's expression. Prions cause devastating neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Silencing genes represents a step towards a therapeutic model for treating these diseases in humans.

Karen weintraub | usa today, june 27, 2024.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ‒ Sonia Vallabh watched helplessly as her 51-year-old mother rapidly descended into dementia and died. It didn’t take long for Vallabh to realize she was destined for the same rare genetic fate.

Vallabh and her husband did what anyone would want to do in their situation: They decided to fight.

Armed with little more than incredible intellect and determination they set out to conquer her destiny.

A dozen years later, they’ve taken a major step in that direction, finding a way to shut off enough genetic signals to hold off the disease.

And in the process of trying to rescue Vallabh, they may save many, many others as well.

In a  paper published Thursday in the prestigious journal Science , Vallabh and her husband, Eric Minikel, and their co-authors offer a way to disrupt brain diseases like the one that killed her mother.

The same approach should also work against diseases such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease and even Alzheimer’s, which result from the accumulation of toxic proteins. If it works as well as they think, it could also be useful against a vast array of other diseases that can be treated by shutting off genes.

“It doesn’t have to be the brain. It could be the muscles. It could be the kidneys. It could be really anywhere in the body where we have not easily been able to do these things before,” said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a cardiologist and geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the research but wrote a  perspective accompanying the paper .

So far, they’ve proven it only in mice.

“The data are good as far as they go,” Vallabh said this week from her office at the Broad Institute of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she has worked since getting a Ph.D. at Harvard. She had already gotten a law degree from the university, but she and Minikel, then a transportation planner, both pursued biology degrees after her mother’s death. Now, they work together at the Broad.

“We’re far from this being a drug,” Vallabh said. “There’s always, always reason for caution. Sadly, everything is always more likely to fail than succeed.

“But there is justifiable reason for optimism.”

A terrible disease

The disease that killed Vallabh’s mother was one of a group of conditions called  prion diseases . These include mad cow disease, which affects mostly cattle, scrapie, which affects sheep, and  Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease , which kills about 350 Americans a year ‒ most within months of their first symptom.

These diseases are triggered when the prion protein found in all normal brains starts misfolding for some reason, as yet unknown.

“Prion disease can strike anybody,” Vallabh said, noting the 1 in 6,000 risk to the general population.

Though prion diseases are, in some cases, contagious, a federal study earlier this year concluded that chronic wasting disease, found in deer, elk and moose, is  very unlikely to pass to people  who eat the meat of sick animals.

In Vallabh’s case, the cause is genetic. Vallabh discovered after her mother’s death that she carries the same variant of the same gene that caused her mother’s disease, meaning she will certainly develop it.

The only question is when.

“The age of onset is extremely unpredictable,” Vallabh said. “Your parent’s age of onset doesn’t actually predict anything.”

How the gene-editing tool works

Vallabh and Minikel approached colleagues at the Whitehead Institute a biomedical research institute next to the Broad. They asked to collaborate on a new gene-editing approach to turn off Vallabh’s disease gene. The technique developed by Whitehead scientists is called CHARM (for Coupled Histone tail Autoinhibition Release of Methyltransferase).

While previous gene-editing tools have been described as scissors or erasers, Musunuru described CHARM as volume control, allowing scientists to tune a gene up or down. It has three advantages over previous strategies, he said.

The device is tiny, so it fits easily inside the virus needed to deliver it. Other gene-editing tools, like CRISPR, are bigger, which means they need to be broken into pieces and much more of the virus is needed to deliver those pieces to the brain, risking a dangerous immune reaction.

CHARM, Musunuru said, is “easier to deliver to hard-to-deliver spaces like the brain.”

At least in the mouse, it also seems to have reached throughout the brain, making the desired genetic change without other, unwanted ones, Musunuru said.

And finally, the research team figured out a way to turn the gene editor off after its work was done. “If it’s sticking around, there’s the potential for genetic mischief,” Musunuru said.

One shot on goal

While researchers, including Vallabh, continue to work to perfect an approach, the clock for Vallabh and others is ticking.

Right now there’s no viable treatment and if it takes too long to develop one, Vallabh will miss her window. Once the disease process starts, like a runaway train, it’ll be much harder to stop than it would be to just shut the gene off in the first place.

The more prion protein in the brain, the more likely it is to misfold. And the more likely it is for the disease to spread, a process that co-opts the natural form of the protein and converts it to the toxic form.

That’s why getting rid of as much of it as possible makes sense, said Jonathan Weissman, the senior author of the study, who leads a Whitehead lab.

“The biology is really clear. The need (for a cure) is so compelling,” Weissman said.

Every cell in the brain has the gene for making the prion protein. By silencing even 50% of those genes, Weissman figures he can prevent the disease. In mice, CHARM silenced up to 80% to 90%.

“We’ve figured out what to deliver. Now we have to figure out how to deliver it,” he said.

Another of the paper’s co-authors, the Broad’s Ben Deverman,  published a study  late last year showing he could deliver a gene-therapy-carrying virus throughout the brain. Others are developing other viral delivery systems.

Vallabh and Minikel have hedged their bets, helping to develop a so-called antisense oligonucleotide, or ASO, which uses another path for stopping the gene from making the prion protein.

The ASO, which is in early trials in people by a company called Ionis Pharmaceuticals, requires regular treatment rather than the one-and-done of gene therapy. Recruitment for that  trial had to be paused  in April because the number of would-be volunteers outstripped the available slots.

Vallabh isn’t ready yet to start any treatment yet herself.

“She has one shot on goal,” Musunuru said. “At some point, she’ll have to decide what’s the best strategy.”

In the meantime, the clock Vallabh can’t see continues to tick toward the onset.

She and Minikel stay exceedingly busy with their research along with their daughter, almost 7, and 4-year-old son ‒ both born via IVF and preimplantation genetic testing to ensure they wouldn’t inherit her genetic curse. (They were super lucky, Vallabh notes, to be living in Massachusetts where IVF is at least “approachable” financially.)

“There is a mountain ahead of us,” Vallabh said of the path to a cure. “There’s still a lot of hurdles, there’s still a lot to figure out.”

• Who’s Teaching What
• Subject Updates
• MEng program
• Opportunities
• Minor in Computer Science
• Resources for Current Students
• Program objectives and accreditation
• Graduate program requirements
• Admission process
• Degree programs
• Graduate research
• EECS Graduate Funding
• Resources for current students
• Student profiles
• Instructors
• DEI data and documents
• Recruitment and outreach
• Community and resources
• Get involved / self-education
• Rising Stars in EECS
• Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP)
• MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP)
• Sloan-MIT University Center for Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM)
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence + Decision-making
• AI and Society
• AI for Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Biological and Medical Devices and Systems
• Communications Systems
• Computational Biology
• Computational Fabrication and Manufacturing
• Computer Architecture
• Educational Technology
• Electronic, Magnetic, Optical and Quantum Materials and Devices
• Graphics and Vision
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Information Science and Systems
• Integrated Circuits and Systems
• Nanoscale Materials, Devices, and Systems
• Natural Language and Speech Processing
• Optics + Photonics
• Optimization and Game Theory
• Programming Languages and Software Engineering
• Quantum Computing, Communication, and Sensing
• Security and Cryptography
• Signal Processing
• Systems and Networking
• Systems Theory, Control, and Autonomy
• Theory of Computation
• Departmental History
• Departmental Organization
• Visiting Committee
• News & Events
• News & Events
• EECS Celebrates Awards

Doctoral Thesis: Light-induced Non-equilibrium States and Phase Transitions in Quantum Materials

Thesis Supervisor(s): Prof. Nuh Gedik

• Date: Thursday, July 18
• Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
• Category: Thesis Defense
• Location: 6C-442

Additional Location Details:

Light-induced emergent phenomena in quantum materials encompass a fascinating array of effects, including light-induced non-equilibrium states and light-induced phase transitions. Exploring these phenomena holds immense significance for several compelling reasons: (1) Novel phases: Light-induced non-equilibrium states include phases that do not exist in equilibrium conditions. (2) Insight into ground states: Light-induced phase transitions are closely linked to the ground states of materials. Investigating these transitions provides valuable insights into the fundamental characteristics of the ground state. (3) Engineering material properties: These phenomena serve as powerful tools for manipulating material properties. Through light excitations, we can potentially engineer the properties of materials, paving the way for innovative device architectures such as those utilizing light-controlled gating mechanisms. Within this broad spectrum of research, this thesis will specifically delve into three compelling cases: Floquet-Bloch states in graphene, light-induced insulator-metal transition in Sr2IrO4, and light-induced topological phase transition in Bi-doped PbSnSe. For these studies, we employed time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Through in-depth investigation into these specific phenomena, this thesis seeks to contribute to the broader understanding of light-matter interactions in quantum materials.

• Email: [email protected]

• Computational Biology & Biomedical Informatics (MS Program)

Computational biology and bioinformatics (CB&B) is a rapidly developing multidisciplinary field. The systematic acquisition of data made possible by genomics and proteomics technologies has created a tremendous gap between available data and their biological interpretation. Given the rate of data generation, it is well recognized that this gap will not be closed with direct individual experimentation. Computational and theoretical approaches to understanding biological systems provide an essential vehicle to help close this gap. These activities include computational modeling of biological processes, computational management of large-scale projects, database development and data mining, algorithm development, and high-performance computing, as well as statistical and mathematical analyses.

• Programs of Study
• MS - Master of Science
• Yale Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Cynthia Brandt

Director of Graduate Studies

• [email protected]

Robin Einbinder

Departmental Registrar

• [email protected]

Admission Requirements

Standardized testing requirements.

GRE is not accepted.

English Language Requirement

TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English. BBS requires a score of at least 600 on the paper version, 250 on the computer-based exam, and 100 on the internet-based exam. Please take the test no later than November and no earlier than 24 months prior to submitting your application. Use institution code 3987 when reporting your scores; you may enter any department code.

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you have studied in residence at that institution for at least three years.

Admission Information

The terminal Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Master’s program is intended for students interested in biomedical informatics training offered through a new academic unit at Yale the called the Section of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science. Those with questions about the Master’s degree may contact the Master's program coordinator ( [email protected] ) or the CBB registrar ( [email protected] ).

Academic Information

Program Advising Guidelines

GSAS Advising Guidelines

Academic Resources

Academic calendar.

The Graduate School's academic calendar lists important dates and deadlines related to coursework, registration, financial processes, and milestone events such as graduation.

Featured Resource

Registration Information and Dates

https://registration.yale.edu/

Students must register every term in which they are enrolled in the Graduate School. Registration for a given term takes place the semester prior, and so it's important to stay on top of your academic plan. The University Registrar's Office oversees the systems that students use to register. Instructions about how to use those systems and the dates during which registration occurs can be found on their registration website.

Financial Information

Master's funding.

While Master's programs are not generally funded, there are resources available to students to help navigate financial responsibilities during graduate school.

• Master's Student Funding Overview
• Graduate Financial Aid Office
• Tuition and Fees
• Yale Student Grants Database
• Student Employment
• Loans for US Citizens
• Loans for Non-US Citizens

Alumni Insights

Below you will find alumni placement data for our departments and programs.