how to get a phd in genetics

Ph.D. in Genetics and Genomics

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 100
• Students: 64
• Students receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Part time study available: No
• Application terms: Fall
• Application deadline: December 2

Amanda Shipp Program Coordinator Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics Box 103855 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710

Email: [email protected]

Website:  http://upg.duke.edu

Program Description

The program provides a unified curriculum of study in genetics and genomics leading to the Ph.D. Areas of specialization include population and evolutionary genetics, microbial and viral genetics, human and mammalian genetics, developmental genetics, epigenomics, and plant genetics. This is an interdisciplinary program with faculty drawn from several departments (Biochemistry, Biology, Cell Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Immunology, Neurobiology, Pathology and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology) as well as from the Institute of Molecular Physiology.

• Genetics and Genomics: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Genetics and Genomics: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Genetics and Genomics: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Genetics and Genomics: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Application Information

Application Terms Available:  Fall

Application Deadline:  December 2

Graduate School Application Requirements See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores: GRE General (Optional)
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English *test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Department-Specific Application Requirements (submitted through online application)

Writing Sample None required

Additional Components Optional Video Essay: How would a Duke PhD training experience help you achieve your academic and professional goals? Max video length 2 minutes; record externally and provide URL in application.

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying: Departmental Application Guidance

List of Graduate School Programs and Degrees

Human Genetics and Genomics, PhD

School of medicine, ph.d. program.

The Johns Hopkins Human Genetics and Genomics Training Program provides training in all aspects of human genetics and genomics relevant to human biology, health and disease. 

Advances in human genetics and genomics continue at an astounding rate and increasingly they are being integrated into medical practice. The Human Genetics and Genomics Program aims to educate highly motivated and capable students with the knowledge and experimental tools that will enable them to answer important questions at the interface between genetics and medicine. Ultimately, our trainees will be the leaders in delivering the promise of genetics to human health.

The overall objective of the Human Genetics program is to provide our students with a strong foundation in basic science by exposure to a rigorous graduate education in genetics, genomics, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry and biostatistics as well as a core of medically-related courses selected to provide knowledge of human biology in health and disease. 

This program is also offered as training for medical students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program.  Students apply to the combined program at the time of application to the M.D. program. (See section entitled Medical Scientist Training Program).

Research Facilities

Research laboratories are well equipped to carry out sophisticated research in all areas of genetics. The proximity to renown clinical facilities of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, including the Department of Genetic Medicine, and Oncology Center provides faculty and students with access to a wealth of material for study. Computer and library facilities are excellent. Laboratories involved in the Human Genetics Program span Johns Hopkins University; consequently supporting facilities are extensive.

Financial Aid

The program is supported by a training grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. These fellowships, which are restricted to United States citizens and permanent United States residents, cover tuition, health care insurance and a stipend during year one.  Once a student has joined a thesis lab, all financial responsibilities belong to the mentor.   Students are encouraged, however, to apply for fellowships from outside sources (e.g., the National Science Foundation, Fulbright Scholars Program, Howard Hughes Medical Institute) before entering the program.

Applicants for admission should show a strong academic foundation with coursework in biology, chemistry and quantitative analysis.   Applicants are encouraged to have exposure to lab research or to data science.  A bachelor's degree from a qualified college or university will be required for matriculation.  GREs are no longer required.

The Human Genetics and Genomics site has up-to-date information on “ How to Apply .” For questions not addressed on these pages, please access the contact information listed on the program page: Human Genetics and Genomics Training Program | Johns Hopkins Department of Genetic Medicine .

Program Requirements

The program includes the following required core courses: Advanced Topics in Human Genetics, Evolving Concept of the Gene, Molecular Biology and Genomics, Cell Structure and Dynamics, Computational Bootcamp,  Pathways and Regulation, Genomic Technologies, Rigor and Reproducibility in Research, and Systems, Genes and Mechanisms of Disease. Numerous elective courses are available and are listed under sponsoring departments.

Our trainees must take a minimum of four electives, one of which must provide computational/statistical training.

The HG program requires the “OPTIONS” Career Curriculum offered by the Professional Development and Career Office.  OPTIONS is designed to provide trainees with the skills for career building and the opportunity for career exploration as well as professional development training

Human Genetics trainees also take a two-week course in July at the Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor, Maine entitled "Human and Mammalian Genetics and Genomics: The McKusick Short Course" which covers the waterfront from basic principles to the latest developments in mammalian genetics. The faculty numbers about 50 and consists roughly in thirds of JAX faculty, Hopkins faculty and “guest” faculty comprising outstanding mammalian geneticists from other US universities and around the world.

The courses offered by the faculty of the program are listed below. All courses are open to graduate students from any university program as well as selected undergraduates with permission of the course director.

Trainees must complete three research rotations before deciding on their thesis lab.  They must also participate in the Responsible Conduct of Research sessions offered by the Biomedical Program; starting at year 3, students must attend at least two Research Integrity Colloquium lectures per year. 

Our trainees participate in weekly journal clubs, department seminars, monthly Science & Pizza presentations as well as workshops given twice a year on diversity, identity and culture.

At the end of the second year, trainees take their Doctoral Board Oral Examination.  Annual thesis committee meetings must be held following successful completion of this exam.

Average time for completion is 5.3 years.

Graduates from the Human Genetics program pursue careers in academia, medicine, industry, teaching, government, law, as well the private sector.  Our trainees are encouraged to explore the full spectrum of professional venues in which their training my provide a strong foundation. Driven by curiosity and a desire for excellence, our trainees stand out as leaders in the chosen arenas of professional life. They are supported in the development of their career plans by a program faculty and administration who are dedicated to their success, and by a myriad of support networks across the Johns Hopkins University, many of which are provided by the Professional Development Career Office of the School of Medicine.

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Teaching Responsibilities

Additional responsibilities, md/phd studies, admission & financial aid.

The program of study leading to the PhD degree emphasizes a broad approach to the fundamental principles of genetics, development and molecular biology combined with extensive research training. The program is designed to permit close interaction between graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty, while also encouraging full participation in the larger community of biological scientists at Yale.

The PhD program in Genetics is designed to provide the student with a broad background in general genetics and the opportunity to conduct original research in a specific area of genetics. The Genetics student is expected to acquire a broad understanding of genetics, spanning knowledge of at least three basic areas of genetics, which include molecular, cellular, organismal, and population genetics. Normally this requirement is accomplished through the satisfactory completion of formal courses, many of which cover more than one of these areas. Students are required to pass at least six graduate level courses.

Students enter the Genetic Graduate Program following the completion of their first year of studies within the BBS Program. Students who enter the Genetics Graduate Program normally select a faculty thesis advisor with an appointment in the Department of Genetics. Read more about our research labs here . Advanced graduate study becomes increasingly focused on the successful completion of original research and the preparation of a written dissertation under the direct supervision of a faculty advisor along with the guidance of a thesis committee.

A qualifying examination is given during the second year of study. This examination consists of a period of directed reading with the faculty followed by the submission of two written proposals and an oral examination. Following the completion of course work and the qualifying examination, the student submits a dissertation prospectus (by the end of the sixth term) and is admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree. There is no language requirement.

The completed research is presented in the form of a written dissertation and a formal seminar. Typically four to six years are required in total to complete work for the PhD degree.

An important aspect of graduate training in genetics is the acquisition of communication and teaching skills. Students participate in presentation seminars and are asked to serve as teaching assistants during two terms (or the equivalent). Teaching duties normally involve assisting in discussion sections, seminar groups or laboratories, and grading, and do not require more than 10 hours per week. Teaching activities are drawn from a diverse menu of lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses given at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school level. Students are not expected to teach during their first year.

Exchange of information with colleagues is an essential component of scientific life. The Genetics Department hosts a Genetics Journal Club as well as a weekly seminar series. Advanced graduate students present the results of their research to members of the Department in a Research in Progress series each year.

The annual departmental retreat consists of a weekend program of informal research talks, poster sessions, and discussions. This provides an outstanding opportunity to keep up-to-date with the diverse research underway in the department and to participate in vigorous scientific discussions. In addition to these intradepartmental activities, there are many additional seminar programs in which outside speakers from the U.S. and abroad present their work to the Yale scientific community. Students have the opportunity to meet with these guests as well as to select and host seminar speakers. Students are also encouraged to travel to scientific meetings and to present their research.

The breadth of the Program, the flexible nature of its graduate studies, and the increasing recognition of the importance of genetics and development in medicine make this Program ideal for MD/PhD students who wish to pursue a career combining basic and clinical research. Interested students should contact:

Kayla McKay , Registrar, MD/PhD Program Yale School of Medicine 367 Cedar St. New Haven, CT 06510-8046 Tel. 203.785.4403

All the resources for genetic and molecular biology research are available at the University. Major items include the Biomedical Computing Unit, nucleotide and peptide synthesis and sequencing, high throughput microarray technology for functional genomic and proteomic analysis, and facilities for electron microscopy, laser scanning, confocal microscopy, and transgenic mouse and hybridoma construction.

Research laboratories are located throughout the Yale University campus. The Departments of Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunobiology, Microbial Pathogenesis, Neurobiology, Pathology and a portion of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry are located in the School of Medicine, while the Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology Department, Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and the balance of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry are in the Science Hill area of Yale College.

Research in the biological and biomedical sciences has become increasingly integrated between Yale’s campuses and departments. Research laboratories are located both in the School of Medicine and in the Science Hill area of Yale College. The Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Department, as well as interdepartmental programs in Neurobiology and Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, have branches in both campuses. The School of Medicine and Science Hill are within walking and bicycling-distance, and a free shuttle bus operates daily to provide transportation between these sites.

Three newly constructed buildings and renovated spaces have added state-of-the-art facilities to the Yale campus. The Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine at the School of Medicine helps bring together both basic and clinical scientists in areas such as molecular genetics, molecular oncology and development, and molecular neurobiology. The new Anlyan Center for Medical Research and Education houses laboratory space, the new Magnetic Resonance Research Center, the Section of Bioimaging sciences, modern teaching facilities and new animal care facilities. The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Center for Molecular and Structural Biology provides a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility that brings together researchers from throughout the University to study gene expression and protein structure. This four-story structure on Science Hill is linked via bridges to the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory and the Josiah Willard Gibbs Research Laboratory. The Yale Center for Genome Analysis (YCGA) is a state-of-the-art DNA Sequencing Center Launched in 2010 on Yale's West Campus to provide a centralized facility for services, equipment and expertise required for carrying out large-scale sequence analysis studies. Yale has allocated entire building to YCGA with over 7000 sq. ft. of custom-designed laboratory and office space equipped with all modern amenities.

Admission to the Department of Genetics graduate program is through an interest-based track, usually the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics & Development Track (MCGD) in the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) . Appropriate preparation for graduate study in Genetics includes a bachelor’s degree in the natural sciences including course work in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Almost all successful applicants have undergraduate or postgraduate research experience and have completed courses in genetics, biochemistry, or molecular and cell biology.

Approximately 25 new students enter the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics and Development Track (MCGD) Track each year. Admission is competitive and is based on evaluation by an admissions committee of academic performance, potential, and letters of recommendation. The top applicants are invited to New Haven at the program's expense for a day of introduction and interviews to assist in the admissions decision.

Students accepted into our graduate program receive a full tuition scholarship including health coverage and a yearly allotment for travel to scientific meetings. All students also receive a stipend for living expenses for the duration of their graduate studies. In most cases, tuition and stipend funds are from predoctoral training grants awarded to Yale by the National Institutes of Health.

Financial aid from international students is extremely competitive and is arranged on an individual basis. International applicants are strongly urged to apply for scholarships or funding from their government or other agencies. Prospective students should submit a completed application form (download application forms), transcripts, graduate records exam scores, and letters of recommendation to the Office of Graduate Admissions by that date. International applicants are also required to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applications and further information may be obtained by contacting the Office of Graduate Admissions:

Office of Graduate Admissions Yale University PO Box 208323 New Haven, CT 06520-8323 USA

Important Documents

• Graduate Student Handbook
• Genetics PhD Milestones & Deadlines
• Individual Career Development Plan Form
• Qualifying Committee Form
• 1st Thesis Committee Meeting Form
• 2nd+ Thesis Committee Mtg Form
• Genetics Advising Guidelines

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PhD in Genetics

Postgraduate Study

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Modern genetics research seeks to provide a systems-level understanding of biology by relating genome sequence to function and phenotype. The research in the Department of Genetics covers a wide spectrum of biological problems, united by the application of genetics tools and approaches. Research themes range from understanding basic mechanisms in cell biology relating to the mechanics of division, migration and communication, through the large-scale analysis of genome regulation and epigenetic control, to aspects of population biology focused on issues of ecological, evolutionary and human health significance.

Genetics has evolved beyond its traditional boundaries to become a fundamental part of biology and medicine. The Department reflects this pervasiveness with research interests encompassing several high-impact themes, including functional genomics and systems biology, developmental genetics, epigenetic inheritance, evolution and population genetics, microbial genetics, and cell biology.

The Department of Genetics hosts between 50 and 65 postgraduate students across 25 research groups, researching a wide range of biological problems, from population genetics and ecology to the detailed analysis of genome sequence. The Department is based in a historic building on the Downing Site but has research groups located in the Gurdon Institute and Sainsbury Labs as well as an impressive range of local, national and international collaborations.

It is mandatory for applicants to contact prospective supervisors to discuss potential projects before making a formal application; applicants who have not done this may not receive full consideration. Prospective students must then indicate their potential supervisor(s) on their application form. Supervisors and their research areas are listed on the Department of Genetics website on the  Research Groups  and  Group Leaders pages .

Most candidates taking this option start in October, to take advantage of Departmental and University induction programmes, but admission in January or April is also possible.

Please note: part-time study may not always be viable and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please discuss this option with your proposed supervisor before making an application for this mode of study. 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

• a comprehensive understanding of techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to their own research;
• demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
• shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies;
• demonstrated self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research;
• independence in designing and conducting a substantial body of original research, and preparing that data in a format suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, department of genetics, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, lent 2024 (closed).

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Easter 2024 (Closed)

Michaelmas 2024 (closed), easter 2025, funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

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Join the Stanford Genetics Ph.D. Program!

The Genetics Department 2021 cohort escape to Tahoe for  a weekend of skiing, snowshoeing and hanging out together.

Looking to apply in the future?

The Stanford Genetics department is always interested in training up-and-coming scientists from all backgrounds. Whether you are thinking about applying to the Ph.D. program in the future, currently in school, or taking some time after college before applying, there are some general tips for beginning your scientific training at every stage:

Gain research experience

Getting into a lab for hands-on experience is the best way to know whether you enjoy working as a research scientist. Previous research experience is one of the top things that admissions committees look for in Ph.D. applicants. As research is a core component of a Ph.D., a strong record helps to demonstrate that the applicant is committed to this type of work and ready for a research-intensive Ph.D. program.

If you are an undergraduate student looking for research experience, one option is to reach out to faculty and see if you can work in their lab for a semester. Many labs don't advertise openings, but would be happy to take on interested students! Some colleges even offer credits or payment for this work.

In the event that your college or university does not offer many research opportunities on campus, there are many summer programs available (such as the  Stanford Summer Research Program ), post-baccalaureate programs, and master’s programs in sciences. Other successful Ph.D. applicants gain this experience after college by working 1-3 years as a technician in a research laboratory.

Complete science coursework 

While there are no specific required classes, it is helpful to have a transcript that reflects your interest in science. Most successful Ph.D. applicants will have a strong record of science coursework (such as genetics, chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, statistics, etc). 

It is not necessary to have completed coursework in the specific field you are applying to (such as completing Genetics courses prior to applying to this department). However, completing field-specific courses can help to demonstrate a strong interest and commitment to that field, which is beneficial in the application process.

If you are unable to complete science coursework, a strong research record can compensate. Alternatively, many successful Ph.D. applicants have leveraged their non-traditional academic record by describing why it is relevant to their new field of interest, and giving examples of the unique perspectives their background will provide.

Get to know faculty

A lot of faculty enjoy engaging with students through the coursework they teach, in addition to serving as research mentors. Get to know your professors through attending office hours, participating in class discussions, or through research experiences in the laboratories. Many professors have a strong commitment to education and mentoring, and are more than happy to answer questions from students. They often provide invaluable personalized advice about careers in academia, Ph.D. programs that would be especially good fits, help navigating the application process, and more.

Stanford (and most other Ph.D. programs) requires three letters of recommendation, so getting to know faculty well helps them to write fantastic personal letters on your behalf.

Gain speaking and presentation experience

Sharing results is a critical component of science! Not only can presentations provide an opportunity for feedback from colleagues, they help you get more comfortable talking about your work with different audiences. Look for conferences, poster sessions, symposiums, and other forums to share your research.

People interested in a Ph.D. in the Genetics Department apply through the Stanford Biosciences program , which has more information and frequently asked questions. Below, we will highlight just a few components that are of particular interest to the Genetics Department.  

Application Deadline : 

• Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 11:59:59 pm (PST) .   Late applications will not be accepted.
• Consider applying for a Knight-Hennessey Scholarship . Deadline is October 9, 2024 at 1:00pm  (PST).
• We believe everyone should have the equal opportunity to apply to Stanford Genetics. There is a Graduate fee waiver program for financially eligible individuals. This is due 10 business days before the application deadline. Interview Session is  Wednesday, March 5 though Saturday, March 8, 2025.

The Genetics Department recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

The Genetics Department   welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. The review process is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, prior research experience, and admissions essays to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field and how they might enrich the learning community at Stanford

The key to selecting a successful graduate program is identifying the right research environment for you. To ensure the Stanford Genetics program is the appropriate Home Program within Stanford Biosciences for you, we recommend ensuring that your scientific interests align with those of the department and our faculty. Take the time to explore what ongoing projects are taking place across our department, and feel free to reach out to faculty or graduate students to ask additional questions.

If Genetics is your top choice of department, be sure to list it first on your application to the Bioscience program. While the application allows you to list  two Home Programs, each Home Program makes independent admissions decisions. Many Home Programs will look at the applicants that list them as first choice, and only go to the applicants who listed them second after those initial decisions.

While your application should generally reflect the experiences mentioned above (such as research experience and strong letters of recommendation), here are a few other aspects the Genetics admission committee looks for:

Statement of purpose

This is a great opportunity for us to get to know you better. Be sure to highlight any experiences or challenges you faced along your scientific journey. This is also an opportunity to address anything unique about your application.

What are the experiences and perspectives that you will bring to our community?

What are your research interests? Specifically, address the research you have conducted and how your interests are aligned with the Stanford Genetics department and/or the Genetics faculty.

Optional short essay: Describe an unsolved biological problem

This is a chance for us again to see what you are interested in and how you would approach tackling a scientific problem of your choice.

It does not need to be related to your own research experiences, but can be a good place to demonstrate how your research interests align with those of the department.

Be sure to submit all of your application materials on time. If anything is going to be late, reach out as soon as possible. This includes your three letters of recommendation, so be sure your recommenders know when and how to submit their letters on your behalf.

Interviewing

All applicants who are offered an interview will be welcomed to come to the Stanford campus for four days in early March. Flights, accommodations, and meals are all provided by Stanford. These recruits will spend time engaging in faculty and student talks, interviewing with faculty, getting to know current students (especially their student host) and other members of the recruitment class. There is also time devoted to walking around the medical and undergraduate campus, touring housing options, meals with faculty and students, and spending the final day in the broader Bay Area.

A few recommendations for recruits at the interview stage:

First and foremost, be yourself! We are very excited to get to meet you and want to make sure this is an environment and community in which you can thrive as a graduate student.

This is also your chance to interview us. Come with any questions you have about specific research projects, the research environment, program details, the broader Stanford Biosciences community, and/or other opportunities outside of research such as volunteering, teaching, outreach, etc.

• Be able to discuss the significance of your research, and engage with the faculty about their research.
• Demonstrate fluency with disciplinary jargon and ease in discussing technical details.

Highlight how your research interests align with the Genetics Department and faculty.  

While not required or expected, feel free to send a follow up email to any faculty members with whom you had an especially good conversation.

Third years gather at the beach during the annual department retreat in Monterey

Students having fun at a Stanford footbal game. GO CARDINALS!

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PhD Training Program

The program in Genetics and Development provides a broad, solid education in genetics and animal development, with rigorous training in critical thinking and experimental design. Genetics is central to all of biology and the training program is guided by the principle that understanding the genetic control of development and physiology is a fundamental goal of biomedical research.

We offer training in a diverse range of research areas that include the regulation of gene expression, cell differentiation, and growth control, the molecular genetics of embryogenesis, cell patterning and

organogenesis, the genetics and pathogenesis of inherited disease, the molecular genetics of cancer, molecular physiology, stem cell biology, the genetics of recombination and linkage analysis and human genetics and genomics, biological modeling of human diseases, and the development of targeted therapeutics as part of Columbia's Precision Medicine Initiative.  Model organisms from yeast to mouse complement studies of human genetics and development.  Forty five faculty from nine different departments make up the training faculty providing an interdisciplinary yet collegial group of mentors all making use of genetic approaches in their research.  This faculty is dedicated to the highest standards of graduate education.

Research training begins with rotations through three research laboratories in the first year, after which each student chooses a laboratory for thesis research. One rotation may be arranged outside the department, and the Thesis Lab may be chosen from any department in the University. At the end of the second year and beginning of the third, students complete a two-part Qualifying Examination based on a research project. Students are closely supervised at all stages of their training, and have access to faculty advice through their thesis advisor, Qualifying Examination Committee and Thesis Research Advisory Committee, or TRAC. A Training Committee oversees the program and the progress of all students. After rotations and all required  courses  an M.A. degree is awarded, and an M.Phil. degree is awarded after completion of the Qualifying Examination. Training is completed with the successful defense of a thesis, usually 4-6 years from entry into the program.

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Furthering our understanding of biology and human disease

Program Overview

The Department of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan was founded by Dr. James V. Neel in 1956 and was the first human genetics department in the United States. The initial focus of the department was human heredity, and this view has grown in breadth and depth through the genomic and post-genomic eras.

Our faculty include AAAS, National Academy and Institute of Medicine Fellows, Howard Hughes Investigators, and winners of University and Medical School teaching awards. Interactions among students and faculty ensure a comprehensive foundation in the many aspects of genetics, from genome function, to population diversity and the molecular mechanisms of disease. Collaborations within the department, across the University, nation-wide and internationally emphasize the crucial role of genetics in addressing global problems in human biology and disease.

A central mission of the Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program is to train students to confront these problems scientifically through a rigorous but flexible foundation in coursework and research.

Apply through our PIBS application

Graduate students have the opportunity to carry out interdisciplinary genetics research in diverse areas.

Examples of current research topics include:

• Cancer genetics
• Developmental genetics
• DNA recombination and repair
• Epigenetics
• Evolutionary and population genetics
• Genome structure, function, and regulation
• Genetic mapping of complex traits and diseases
• Medical genetics
• Molecular basis of Mendelian Disorders
• Neurogenetics
• Statistical genetics and genetic epidemiology

The multidisciplinary nature of this research is demonstrated by strong faculty involvement in the Genetics Training Program and Genome Science Training Grants, which are both supported by the NIH for 40 and 25 years, respectively. The Genetics Training Program is directed from the Department of Human Genetics, with faculty and student participation from five other PhD programs. The Genome Science Training Grant is co led by HG, with faculty and student participation from eight other PhD programs across the University of Michigan campus.

Genetics and Genomics students and faculty also participate in training programs in Bioinformatics; Cancer Biology; Genome Sciences; Organogenesis; Reproductive Biology; and Hearing, Balance, and Chemical Senses.

The core training in Genetics and Genomics consists of courses in molecular genetics, the genetic basis of human disease, and quantitative and statistical genetics. Additional courses are selected from within the Department of Human Genetics and throughout the University to strengthen one or more core areas. Coursework is designed to meet the individual training goals of students in the Program.

In addition to the core courses, students participate in the weekly student seminars, in which they learn to analyze and present research literature before the greater genetics community, including faculty and students. In the second year, students take Current Topics, a small class that focuses on current methods in genetic research through discussions of selected primary scientific literature, with student-led presentations.

The interactive and interdisciplinary nature of Genetics and Genomics is also highlighted by Departmental and training program seminars on cutting-edge topics presented by high-profile outside speakers, some of whom are selected by the students.

Preliminary Examination

Students take a preliminary examination during the Summer after their first year. The exam is a written and oral defense of the student’s proposed thesis research. Students advance to candidacy once they have passed the preliminary examination, completed certain course requirements, and received the approval of their thesis research mentor.

Teaching Requirement

While teaching is not a Program requirement, most Genetics and Genomics students spend at least one term as a teaching assistant, generally in their second or third year. Additional teaching opportunities are available through several outreach programs.

Expected Length of Program

After completion of required coursework, the doctoral dissertation is generally completed within 5 years of graduate study; however, this varies among students.

The Department of Human Genetics includes more than 21 Genetics and Genomics PhD students, as well as 27 primary faculty and 16 joint faculty whose primary appointments represent six additional departments. Up to eight students join our program each year and the Department is in an active growth phase with faculty added over the last few years and more recruitment planned.

Our students have received national fellowships and awards for their research, have served on national committees including in the American Society of Human Genetics, and have been recognized with the University of Michigan Distinguished Dissertation Award , the highest honor the University confers to recognize graduate student accomplishments.

Students get to know faculty and their research through numerous events throughout the year, including the Department retreat, Genetics and Genomics Retreat, the James V. Neel Lectureship, and the Thomas D. Gelehrter Lectureship. The Department of Human Genetics sponsors a seminar series of external speakers, short courses with several speakers on a related theme, and a weekly seminar given by trainees in the Department. There are also a variety of informal special interest groups that offer opportunities for students to present and get advice on their research findings.

Over 180 Genetics and Genomics PhD graduates have gone on to successful careers in academic research and teaching, biotechnology, and scientific consulting, among other professions.

Learn more about the Department of Genetics and Genomics.

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Stanford Online

Genetics and genomics program.

Stanford School of Medicine , Stanford Center for Health Education

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Thank you for your interest in the Stanford Genetics and Genomics Program! 

We are now offering two new programs: Foundations of Genetics and Genomics and Advanced Topics in Genetics and Genomics. 

Foundations of Genetics and Genomics

New technologies and breakthroughs in research are impacting the health and medicine industries and allowing for the use of personalized medicine, genetic engineering, and more. But what does this all mean, and how are these innovations occurring? Understanding the core concepts of genes and genomes will help you grasp how researchers and health professionals improve disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. From studying the function and structure of chromosomes to examining the genetic codes found in DNA, the Foundations of Genetics and Genomics track will give you the fundamental knowledge needed to understand how we can progress in our work targeting human health and disease and prepare you to explore more advanced topics.

Advanced Topics in Genetics and Genomics  

Technologies like CRISPR and stem cell therapies, and research such as those in the fields of epigenetics and biotechnology, are changing how we understand and develop solutions for medicine, biology, and agriculture. The fields of genetics and genomics are constantly evolving from personalized treatment plans based on your genes, lifestyle, and environment to manipulating DNA and editing genetic code. The Advanced Topics in Genetics and Genomics track allows you to dive deeper into the topics you care about and provides you with up-to-date information on cutting-edge research and technologies in the health and medicine industries today.

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Fundamentals of Genetics: The Genetics You Need To Know

Genomics and the Other Omics: The Comprehensive Essentials

Advanced topics in genetics and genomics.

Principles and Practices of Gene Therapy

Understanding Cancer at the Genetic Level

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Stem Cell Therapeutics

Personal Genomics and Your Health

New Frontiers in Cancer Genomics

Epigenetics and Microbiomics in Precision Health

Biology and Applications of the CRISPR/Cas System

Teaching team.

Russ Altman

Kenneth Fong Professor

Bioengineering

Russ Biagio Altman is the Kenneth Fong Professor of Bioengineering, Genetics, Medicine, Biomedical Data Science and (by courtesy) Computer Science) and past chairman of the Bioengineering Department at Stanford University. His primary research interests are in the application of computing and informatics technologies to problems relevant to medicine. He is particularly interested in methods for understanding drug action at molecular, cellular, organism and population levels. His lab studies how human genetic variation impacts drug response (e.g., http://www.pharmgkb.org/). Other work focuses on the analysis of biological molecules to understand the actions, interactions and adverse events of drugs (e.g., http://feature.stanford.edu/). He helps lead an FDA-supported Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science & Innovation.

Dr. Altman holds an AB from Harvard College, and an MD from Stanford Medical School, and a PhD in Medical Information Sciences from Stanford. He received the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine, IOM). He is a past-president, founding board member, and a fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB), and a past-president of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT). He has chaired the Science Board advising the FDA commissioner, served on the NIH Director’s Advisory Committee, and co-chaired the IOM Drug Forum. He is an organizer of the annual Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing, and a founder of Personalis, Inc. Dr. Altman is board certified in Internal Medicine and in Clinical Informatics. He received the Stanford Medical School graduate teaching award in 2000 and mentorship award in 2014.

Ximena Ares

Licensing Associate

Stanford University

Ximena Ares is a Licensing Associate at the Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL). Dr. Ares received her Ph.D training in Molecular Biology in Buenos Aires, Argentina and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco in Human Genetics. Later, she was a scientist at Geron Corporation and a Research Fellow at the Molecular Sciences Institute in Berkeley, California. She joined Stanford OTL in 2004, where she manages a portfolio of about 250 life sciences inventions, makes decisions about their intellectual property protection and negotiates license agreements and other contracts.

Euan Ashley

Roger and Joelle Burnell Professor

• School of Medicine

Born and raised in Scotland, Euan Angus Ashley graduated with 1st class Honors in Physiology and Medicine from the University of Glasgow. He completed medical residency and a PhD in molecular cardiology at the University of Oxford before moving to Stanford University where he trained in cardiology and advanced heart failure joining the faculty in 2006. His group is focused on the application of genomics to medicine. In 2010, he led the team that carried out the first clinical interpretation of a human genome. The paper published in the Lancet was the focus of over 300 news stories, became one of the most cited articles in clinical medicine that year, and was featured in the Genome Exhibition at the Smithsonian in DC. The team extended the approach in 2011 to a family of four and now routinely apply genome sequencing to the diagnosis of patients at Stanford hospital where Dr Ashley directs the Clinical Genome Service and the Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease. In 2013, Dr Ashley was recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for his contributions to Personalized Medicine. In 2014, Dr Ashley became co-chair of the steering committee for the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network. Dr Ashley is a recipient of the National Innovation Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) and a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award. He is a member of the AHA Council on Functional Genomics, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health. He is a peer reviewer for the NIH and the AHA as well as journals including Nature, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He is co-founder of Personalis Inc, a genome scale genetic diagnostics company. Father to three young Americans, in his ‘spare’ time, he tries to understand American football, plays the saxophone, and conducts research on the health benefits of single malt Scotch whisky.

Laura Attardi

Catharine and Howard Avery Professor

Academic Appointments

• Professor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation and Cancer Biology
• Professor, Genetics
• Member, Bio-X
• Member, Child Health Research Institute
• Member, Stanford Cancer Institute

Israeli Society of Gene and Cell Therapy

Administrative Appointments

Founder of LogicBio Therapeutics, a gene therapy company (2014) Member of the American Society of Gene and Cell therapy (2011)

Honors & Awards

Presidential symposium lecturer at the annual meeting of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (2014) Recipient of the Child Health Research Institute (CHRI) fellowship (2013) 1st place- Stanford Genetics Department “Big Idea” Contest (2012)

Professional Education

MSc, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, Genetics (2006) PhD, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, Genetics (2011) Postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University (2011)

Michael Bassik

Associate Professor, Genetics

Chris Bjornson

Senior Scientific Researcher

Chris Bjornson holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and has served as a Research Associate for Calos Lab, Stanford University.

Anne Brunet

Michele And Timothy Barakett Endowed Professor

Anne Brunet is a Professor of Genetics at Stanford University. Dr. Brunet is interested in the molecular mechanisms of aging and longevity, with a particular emphasis on the nervous system. Her lab is interested in identifying pathways involved in delaying aging in response to external stimuli such as availability of nutrients and mates. She also seeks to understand the mechanisms that influence the rejuvenation of old stem cells. Finally, her lab has pioneered the naturally short-lived African killifish as a new model to explore the regulation of aging and age-related diseases.

Senior Scientist, Population Genetics

Katarzyna ("Kasia") Bryc is a Senior Scientist of Population Geneticist at 23andMe. Dr. Bryc has developed statistical models that leverage genetic data to learn about ancient human history and migrations, recent population admixture and other forces shaping the human genome. Her prior research illuminated the genetic population structure of Africans, and the complex admixture of African Americans and Hispanic/Latino populations. Dr. Bryc received a B.A. from Stanford University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biometry at Cornell under Dr. Carlos Bustamante. Prior to joining 23andMe, she was a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School with Dr. David Reich, where she developed statistical methods to infer genetic diversity from sequence data.

Michele Calos

Professor, Genetics (Emerita)

Professor, Genetics

Member, Bio-X

Member, Child Health Research Institute

Chair, School of Medicine Appointments and Promotions Committee (2008 - 2010)

• Searle Scholar Award, Searle Family Foundation (1986)
• Graduate Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1979)
• B.A., M.A., Oxford University, Zoology
• Ph.D., Harvard University, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Postdoc., University of Geneva, Biologie Moleculaire

Community and International Work

• Member, Board of Directors, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy
• Advisory Committee, United States Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland

Jan Carette

Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology

Mildred Cho

Professor, Pediatrics and Medicine

Emily Crane

Senior Principle Scientific Researcher

Dr. Emily Crane grew up in Palo Alto, California.  She left the sunshine state to earn her B.A. in Biology from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.  She returned to California in 2005, where she enrolled in graduate school at UC Berkeley and began training as a geneticist with Dr. Barbara Meyer. She studied the connection between gene expression regulation and chromosome structure, earning a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology in 2011.  While pursuing her doctorate she was able to first pair research with teaching as a Graduate Student Instructor for both lab and lecture courses. She is currently a NIH IRACDA postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, which allows her to do research while also teaching as a visiting professor at San Jose State University.  At Stanford she works in Dr. Jin Li’s lab, where she is currently setting up a screening system to look for regulators of RNA editing. Dysregulation of RNA editing has been linked to neurological diseases and cancers, and its complete loss is lethal.  Emily is passionate about the rapidly expanding field of personal genomics, which will soon be an indispensable resource for improving patient health.

Christina Curtis

Professor, Genetics and Biomedical Data Science

The Curtis laboratory couples innovative experimental approaches, high-throughput omic technologies, statistical inference and computational modeling to interrogate the evolutionary dynamics of tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. To this end, Dr. Curtis and her team have developed an integrated experimental and computational framework to measure clinically relevant patient-specific parameters and to measure clonal dynamics. Her research also aims to develop a systematic interpretation of genotype/phenotype associations in cancer by leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and robust data integration techniques. For example, using integrative statistical approaches to mine multiple data types she lead a seminal study that redefined the molecular map of breast cancer, revealing novel subgroups with distinct clinical outcomes and subtype-specific drivers.

Barbara Dunn

Final Foods Inc.

Barbara Dunn is a Senior Biocuration Research Scientist in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University, currently working with the Saccharomyces Genome Database in the laboratory of Dr. J. Michael Cherry. She received her A.B. in Botany at Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at Harvard University, where she studied yeast telomeres in the laboratory of Dr. Jack Szostak. Her recent research has focused on using whole-genome DNA and RNA sequencing, ChIP-Seq, array-CGH, and other “omics” methods to broadly explore evolution in yeast, and particularly the genome structures and genome evolution of industrial yeasts (lager, ale, wine, ethanol, bread).

Dianna Fisk

Senior Scientific Curator

Dianna received her B.S. in Biology from Marquette University and her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of Oregon, where she studied how nuclear and chromosomal gene expression are coordinately regulated, in the laboratory of Dr. Alice Barkan. She then went on to work as a Scientific Curator under Dr. David Botstein and Dr. J. Michael Cherry, at the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD). After 13 years of analyzing, assembling and organizing the vast amounts of detailed biochemical and genetic data available on yeast, she switched to interpretation of human genomics data and is now the Senior Biocurator at the Stanford Clinical Genomics Service.

Professor, Medicine and Genetics

Dr. Ford is a medical oncologist and geneticist at Stanford, devoted to studying the genetic basis of breast and GI cancer development, treatment and prevention. Dr. Ford graduated in 1984 Magna Cum Laude (Biology) from Yale University where he later received his M.D. degree from the School of Medicine in 1989. He was a internal medicine resident (1989-91), Clinical Fellow in Medical Oncology (1991-94), Research Fellow of Biological Sciences (1993-97) at Stanford, and joined the faculty in 1998. He is currently Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and Genetics, and Director of the Stanford Cancer Genetics Clinic, at the Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Ford’s research goals are to understand the role of genetic changes in cancer genes in the risk and development of common cancers. He studies the role of the p53 and BRCA1 tumor suppressor genes in DNA repair, and uses techniques for high-throughput genomic analyses of cancer to identify molecular signatures for targeted therapies. Recently, his team has identified a novel class of drugs that target DNA repair defective breast cancers, and have opened clinical trials at Stanford and nationally using these “PARP inhibitors” for the treatment of women with “triple-negative” breast cancer. Dr. Ford’s clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a hereditary pre-disposition to cancer. He runs the Stanford Cancer Genetics Clinic, that sees patients for genetic counseling and testing of hereditary cancer syndromes, and enters patients on clinical research protocols for prevention and early diagnosis of cancer in high-risk individuals.

Hinco Gierman

VP Precision Oncology

Julie Granka

Principal Scientist, Statistical Genetics

Julie Granka is a biologist and a statistician with expertise in genetics and evolution who currently serves as the Director of Personalized Genomics at Ancestry.com. Dr. Granka has experience developing and applying advanced computational tools to genetic data to understand population history and evolution. During fieldwork in South Africa, she collected and analyzed DNA samples from an African hunter-gatherer population to uncover the genetic basis of human height and skin pigmentation. Dr. Granka has also analyzed numerous other African populations to identify regions of the human genome where positive natural selection has occurred in recent history. In addition, she has studied the genetics of other organisms, including M. tuberculosis, the organism that causes tuberculosis. Dr. Granka received a B.S. in Biometry and Statistics from Cornell University where she worked with Dr. Carlos Bustamante. Afterwards, she received an M.S. in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Biology with Dr. Marcus Feldman at Stanford University.

Hank Greely

Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law

• Stanford Law School

Henry T. "Hank" Greely is the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law and Professor, by courtesy, of Genetics at Stanford University. He specializes in ethical, legal, and social issues arising from advances in the biosciences, particularly from genetics, neuroscience, and human stem cell research. He chairs the California Advisory Committee on Human Stem Cell Research and the steering committee of the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics, and directs the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences and the Stanford Program in Neuroscience and Society. He serves as a member of the NAS Committee on Science, Technology, and Law; the NIGMS Advisory Council, the Institute of Medicine’s Neuroscience Forum, and the NIH Multi-Center Working Group on the BRAIN Initiative. Professor Greely graduated from Stanford in 1974 and from Yale Law School in 1977. He served as a law clerk for Judge John Minor Wisdom on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for Justice Potter Stewart of the United States Supreme Court. He began teaching at Stanford in 1985.

Will Greenleaf

William Greenleaf is an Associate Professor in the Genetics Department at Stanford University School of Medicine, with a courtesy appointment in the Applied Physics Department. He is a member of Bio-X, the Biophysics Program, the Biomedical Informatics Program, and the Cancer Center. He received an A.B. in physics from Harvard University (summa cum laude) in 2002, and received a Gates Fellowship to study computer science for one year in Trinity College, Cambridge, UK (with distinction). After this experience abroad, he returned to Stanford to carry out his Ph.D. in Applied Physics in the laboratory of Steven Block, where he investigated, at the single molecule level, the chemo-mechanics of RNA polymerase and the folding of RNA transcripts. He conducted postdoctoral work in the laboratory of X. Sunney Xie in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, where he was awarded a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Fellowship, and developed new fluorescence-based high-throughput sequencing methodologies. He moved to Stanford as an Assistant Professor in November 2011. Since beginning his lab, he has been named a Rita Allen Foundation Young Scholar, an Ellison Foundation Young Scholar in Aging (declined), a Baxter Foundation Scholar, and a Chan-Zuckerberg Investigator. His highly interdisciplinary research links molecular biology, computer science, bioengineering, and genomics a to understand how the physical state of the human genome controls gene regulation and biological state. Efforts in his lab are split between building new tools to leverage the power of high-throughput sequencing and cutting-edge microscopies, and bringing these new technologies to bear against basic biological questions of genomic and epigenomic variation. His long-term goal is to unlock an understanding of the physical “regulome” — i.e. the factors that control how the genetic information is read into biological instructions — profoundly impacting our understanding of how cells maintain, or fail to maintain, their state in health and disease.

Arthur Grossman

Professor (by courtesy), Biology

Arthur Grossman has been a Staff Scientist at The Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology since 1982, and holds a courtesy appointment as Professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University. He has performed research across fields ranging from plant biology, microbiology, marine biology, ecology, genomics, engineering and photosynthesis and initiated large scale algal genomics by leading the Chlamydomonas genome project (sequencing of the genome coupled to transcriptomics). During his tenure at Carnegie, he mentored more than fifteen PhD students and approximately 40 post-doctoral fellows (many of whom have become very successful independent scientists at both major universities and in industry). In 2002 he received the Darbaker Prize (Botanical Society of America) for work on microalgae and in 2009 received the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal (National Academy of Sciences) for the quality of his publications on marine and freshwater algae. In 2015 he was Vice Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Photosynthesis and in 2017 was Chair of that same conference (Photosynthetic plasticity: From the environment to synthetic systems). He also gave the Arnon endowed lecture on photosynthesis in Berkeley in March of 2017, has given numerous plenary lectures and received a number of fellowships throughout his career, including the Visiting Scientist Fellowship - Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM) (Italy, 2014), the Lady Davis Fellowship (Israel, 2011) and most recently the Chaire Edmond de Rothschild (to work IBPC in Paris in 2017-2018). He has been Co-Editor in Chief of Journal of Phycology and has served on the editorial boards of many well-respected biological journals including the Annual Review of Genetics, Plant Physiology, Eukaryotic Cell, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Plant, and Current Genetics. He has also reviewed innumerable papers and grants, served on many scientific panels that has evaluated various programs for granting agencies [NSF, CNRS, Marden program (New Zealand)] and private companies. He has also served on scientific advisory boards for both nonprofit and for profit companies including Phoenix Bioinformatics, Excelixis, Martex, Solazyme/TerraVia, Checkerspot and Phycoil.

Bethann Hromatka

Senior Director, Medical Affairs

Puma Biotechnology, Inc.

Natalie Jaeger

Senior Scientist

DKFZ German Cancer Research Center

Natalie is a Post-Doctoral Scientist in the laboratory of Professor Michael Snyder at Stanford University. Her duties include applying approaches comprising genome sequencing, transcriptomics, and proteomics to the analysis of human disease, to help understand the molecular basis of disease and aid the development of diagnostics and therapeutics.

Dennis Farrey Family Professor of Genetics

Mark A. Kay, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Program in Human Gene Therapy, and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Kay is one of the founders of the American Society of Gene Therapy and served as its President in 2005-2006. Dr. Kay received the E. Mead Johnson Award for Research in Pediatrics in 2000 and was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1997. He has organized many national and international conferences, including the first Gordon Conference related to gene therapy.

Kay is respected worldwide for his work in gene therapy for hemophilia and viral hepatitis. He is an Associate Editor of Human Gene Therapy and Molecular Therapy, and a member of the editorial boards of other peer-reviewed publications.

Here at Stanford University, Dr. Kay is involved in many committees, including the Administrative Panel on Biosafety Committee, and Chair of the Berry Foundation Committee. Along with his work in Gene Therapy Dr. Kay is an avid photographer and enjoys spending time outdoors photographing wildlife.

Professor, Developmental Biology (Emeritus)

Dr. Kim's lab's research focuses are in C. elegans aging, human aging, cell lineage analyzer, and ModENCODE.

Students, fellows, and faculty in the Department of Developmental Biology are working at the forefront of basic science research to understand the molecular mechanisms that generate and maintain diverse cell types in many different contexts, including the embryo, various adult organs, and the evolution of different species. Research groups use a wide array of cutting-edge approaches including genetics, genomics, computation, biochemistry, and advanced imaging, in organisms ranging from microbes to humans. This work has connections to many areas of human health and disease, including stem cell biology, aging, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, neurological disorders, and novel strategies for stimulating repair or regeneration of body tissues.

Jane Lebkowski

Regenerative Patch Technologies

President of Research and Development, Asterias

Joe Lipsick

Professor, Pathology and Genetics

Since participating in the initial identification of the protein product of the v-Myb oncogene as a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Lipsick has dedicated his research career to understanding the function of the highly conserved Myb oncogene family. The laboratory has initially focused on the retroviral v-Myb oncogene and its cellular homologue, c-Myb. More recently, they have focused on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism for understanding the human Myb oncogene family. They created the first null mutants of the sole Drosophila Myb gene, and showed that the absence of Myb resulted in mitotic abnormalities including chromosome condensation defects, aneuploidy, polyploidy, and aberrant spindle formation. In collaboration with the laboratory of Michael Botchan (UC Berkeley), they also showed that Myb was required for the site-specific initiation of DNA replication that occurs during chorion gene amplification in adult ovarian follicle cells. They themselves then showed that the absence of Myb causes a failure in the normal progression of chromosome condensation from heterchromatin to euchromatin. Most recently, they have found that Myb acts in opposition to repressive E2F and RB proteins to epigenetically regulate the expression of key components of the spindle assembly checkpoint and spindle pole regulatory pathways.

Kelly Ormond

Adjunct Professor, Genetics

Kelly Ormond is a genetic counselor (US ABGC certified) and ELSI researcher. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University (1994) and a post-?graduate certificate in Clinical Medical Ethics from the MacLean Center at the University of Chicago (2001). She joined the Health Ethics and Policy Lab as a Senior Scientist in February 2021, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Genetics at Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, California, USA

Matthew Porteus

Sutardja Chuk Professor

Dr. Porteus was raised in California and was a local graduate of Gunn High School before completing A.B. degree in “History and Science” at Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and wrote an thesis entitled “Safe or Dangerous Chimeras: The recombinant DNA controversy as a conflict between differing socially constructed interpretations of recombinant DNA technology.” He then returned to the area and completed his combined MD, PhD at Stanford Medical School with his PhD focused on understanding the molecular basis of mammalian forebrain development with his PhD thesis entitled “Isolation and Characterization of TES-1/DLX-2: A Novel Homeobox Gene Expressed During Mammalian Forebrain Development.” After completion of his dual degree program, he was an intern and resident in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and then completed his Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship in the combined Boston Chidlren’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute program. For his fellowship and post-doctoral research he worked with Dr. David Baltimore at MIT and CalTech where he began his studies in developing homologous recombination as a strategy to correct disease causing mutations in stem cells as definitive and curative therapy for children with genetic diseases of the blood, particularly sickle cell disease. Following his training with Dr. Baltimore, he took an independent faculty position at UT Southwestern in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry before again returning to Stanford in 2010 as an Associate Professor. During this time his work has been the first to demonstrate that gene correction could be achieved in human cells at frequencies that were high enough to potentially cure patients and is considered one of the pioneers and founders of the field of genome editing—a field that now encompasses thousands of labs and several new companies throughout the world. His research program continues to focus on developing genome editing by homologous recombination as curative therapy for children with genetic diseases but also has interests in the clonal dynamics of heterogeneous populations and the use of genome editing to better understand diseases that affect children including infant leukemias and genetic diseases that affect the muscle. Clinically, Dr. Porteus attends at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital where he takes care of pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Vice President of Program Management

Jose loves talking about science, especially to non-scientists. He has been involved in science outreach and education since he first learned of the simplicity and beauty of the structure of DNA. Naturally, Jose went on to graduate school at Stanford where he received a M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Developmental Biology. His doctoral work focused on understanding how epigenetic regulators control the biology of adult stem cells. For example, when some of these regulators misbehave, stem cells are lost to the detriment of the tissue they normally maintain. Why? How? Well, Jose still doesn’t know, but he hopes his work helped add one more piece to the never-ending puzzle of scientific research. After finishing his Ph.D., Jose moved to St. Louis, MO and joined Monsanto as part of a rotational leadership program, where he’s been doing a number of fun things both close and far from his science background. His year-long rotations have spanned biotechnology regulation and policy, global technology strategy, and development of molecular detection technologies. All of these rotations have complemented each other and contributed to his passion for sustainably and safely increasing food productivity and agricultural efficiency. Jose’s favorite activity is backpacking and talking about how light his backpack is over an open fire under the Milky Way-splattered sky of the Sierra Nevada. When he’s not outdoors, which is more frequent than he’d like, Jose enjoys good beer (peanut butter chocolate milk stout is real and delicious), good music (Tool), and thoughtful discussions involving science, education and politics.

Jonathan Pritchard

Bing Professor of Population Studies

Jonathan Pritchard is a Professor of Genetics and Biology at Stanford University. He received his BSc in Biology and Mathematics from Penn State University in 1994, and his PhD in Biology at Stanford in 1998. After that he moved to a postdoc in the Department of Statistics at Oxford University and then to his first faculty job at the University of Chicago in 2001. He has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2008.

Li (Stanley) Qi

Associate Professor

Maria Grazia Roncarolo

George D. Smith Professor

Maria Grazia Roncarolo, MD is the co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, the George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine (blood and marrow transplantation), chief of the Division of Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, and co-director of the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases.

Dr. Roncarolo leads efforts to translate scientific discoveries in genetic diseases and regenerative medicine into novel patient therapies, including treatments based on stem cells and gene therapy. A pediatric immunologist by training, she earned her medical degree at the University of Turin, Italy. She spent her early career in Lyon, France, where she focused on severe inherited metabolic and immune diseases, including severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), better known as the "bubble boy disease." Dr. Roncarolo was a key member of the team that carried out the first stem cell transplants given before birth to treat these genetic diseases.

While studying inherited immune diseases, Dr. Roncarolo discovered a new class of T cells. These cells, called T regulatory type 1 cells, help maintain immune system homeostasis by preventing autoimmune diseases and assisting the immune system in tolerating transplanted cells and organs. Recently, Dr. Roncarolo completed the first clinical trial using T regulatory type 1 cells to prevent severe graft-versus-host disease in leukemia patients receiving blood-forming stem-cell transplants from donors who were not genetic matches.

Dr. Roncarolo worked for several years at DNAX Research Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Palo Alto, where she contributed to the discovery of novel cytokines, cell-signaling molecules that are part of the immune response. She studied the role of cytokines in inducing immunological tolerance and in promoting stem cell growth and differentiation.

Dr. Roncarolo developed new gene-therapy approaches, which she pursued as director of the Telethon Institute for Cell and Gene Therapy at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan. She was the principal investigator leading the successful gene therapy trial for SCID patients who lack an enzyme critical to DNA synthesis, which is a severe life-threatening disorder. That trial is now considered the gold standard for gene therapy in inherited immune diseases. Under her direction, the San Raffaele Scientific Institute has been seminal in showing the efficacy of gene therapy for otherwise untreatable inherited metabolic diseases and primary immunodeficiencies.

Dr. Roncarolo's goal at Stanford is to build the teams and infrastructure to move stem cell and gene therapy to the clinic quickly and to translate basic science discoveries into patient treatments. In addition, her laboratory continues to work on T regulatory cell-based treatments to induce immunological tolerance after transplantation of donor tissue stem cells. In Nature Medicine, Dr. Roncarolo recently published her discovery of new biomarkers for T regulatory type 1 cells, which will be used to purify the cells and to track them in patients. She also is investigating genetic chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases that occur due to impairment in T regulatory cell functions.

Julien Sage

Elaine and John Chambers Professor

Dr. Sage studied biology at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and did his PhD at the University of Nice and post-doctoral training at MIT. He is currently the Elaine and John Chambers Professor in Pediatric Cancer and a Professor of Genetics at Stanford University where he serves as the co-Director of the Cancer Biology PhD program. For his work on cancer genetics, he has been awarded a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Scholar Award, a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar Award, and an R35 Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Sage’s work has focused on the RB tumor suppressor pathway and how inactivation of RB promotes tumorigenesis in children and adult patients. In the past few years, the Sage lab has developed pre-clinical models for small cell lung cancer, an RB-mutant cancer, and has used these models to investigate signaling pathways driving the growth of this cancer type and to identify novel therapeutic targets in this recalcitrant cancer.

Gavin Sherlock

Associate Professor,  Genetics Member,  Stanford Cancer Institute  

Army Breast Cancer Research Fellowship, Department of Defence (1997-1998) Cold Spring Harbor Fellowship, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1996-1997) Prize Studentship, The Wellcome Trust (1991-1994) John Buckley Entrance Scholarship for Science, Manchester University (1988-1991)

B.Sc., Manchester University, Genetics (1991) Ph.D., Manchester University, Molecular Biology (1994)

Michael Snyder

Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Genetics

Michael Snyder is the Stanford Ascherman Professor and Chair of Genetics and the Director of the Center of Genomics and Personalized Medicine. Dr. Snyder received his Ph.D. training at the California Institute of Technology and carried out postdoctoral training at Stanford University.

He is a leader in the field of functional genomics and proteomics, and one of the major participants of the ENCODE project. His laboratory study was the first to perform a large-scale functional genomics project in any organism, and has launched many technologies in genomics and proteomics. These including the development of proteome chips, high resolution tiling arrays for the entire human genome, methods for global mapping of transcription factor binding sites (ChIP-chip now replaced by ChIP-seq), paired end sequencing for mapping of structural variation in eukaryotes, de novo genome sequencing of genomes using high throughput technologies and RNA-Seq. These technologies have been used for characterizing genomes, proteomes and regulatory networks. Seminal findings from the Snyder laboratory include the discovery that much more of the human genome is transcribed and contains regulatory information than was previously appreciated, and a high diversity of transcription factor binding occurs both between and within species.

He has also combined different state-of–the-art “omics” technologies to perform the first longitudinal detailed integrative personal omics profile (iPOP) of person and used this to assess disease risk and monitor disease states for personalized medicine. He is a cofounder of several biotechnology companies, including Protometrix (now part of Life Tehcnologies), Affomix (now part of Illumina), Excelix, and Personalis, and he presently serves on the board of a number of companies

Barry Starr

Senior Science Writer

Barry received his B.S. from CSU, Chico in Biochemistry. He then went on to graduate school at the University of Oregon where he earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry with Dr. Diane Hawley. During his six years, Barry worked on many aspects of basal RNA polymerase II transcription but Barry’s main contribution to the field was showing that the TATA-binding protein (TBP) recognized its AT-rich sequence entirely through the minor groove. This was deemed impossible at the time. Barry then went on to do a postdoc with Dr. Keith Yamamoto at UCSF where he worked on glucocorticoid receptor mutants. After that Barry entered the world of biotechnology where he was employed at three different companies designing small molecules that could specifically alter gene expression. He then stepped off the standard science track and took a job with Stanford University’s Department of Genetics running an outreach program called Stanford at The Tech. Over the next ten or so years Barry helped design and update a museum exhibition (Genetics: Technology With a Twist), a website (Understanding Genetics), have given over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to improve their communication skills, and have written hundreds of blogs both for the Understanding Genetics website and for KQED QUEST, a local PBS television show.

Lars Steinmetz

Dieter Schwarz Foundation Endowed Professor

Lars Steinmetz studied molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University and conducted his Ph.D. research on genome-wide approaches to study gene function and natural phenotypic diversity at Stanford University. After a brief period of postdoctoral research at the Stanford Genome Technology Center, where he worked on functional genomic technology development, he moved to Europe in 2003. At the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, he started his own group, focused on applying functional genomic approaches and high-throughput methods to study complex traits, transcription and the mitochondrial organelle at a systems level. In parallel, he maintained a focused group at the Stanford Genome Technology Center working on technology development. Since 2009, Lars acted as Joint Head of the department of Genome Biology at EMBL.

In October 2013 Lars became Professor of Genetics at Stanford University and Co-Director of the Stanford Genome Technology Center. His lab develops and applies cutting-edge technologies to investigate the function and mechanism of transcription, the genetic basis of complex phenotypes and the genetic and molecular systems underpinning disease. Their ultimate goal is to enable the development of personalized, preventative medicine.

In parallel to his research activities at Stanford, Lars continues to lead his lab at EMBL and acts as Associate Head of Genome Biology and Senior Scientist at EMBL. His Stanford and EMBL labs collaborate very closely.

In addition to his academic endeavours, Lars is a consultant and board member of several companies, advising in the areas of genetics and personalized medicine.

Ruth Tennen

Senior Product Scientist I

Ruth Tennen picked up her first pipette as a summer high-school student in a lab at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She received her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University and her Ph.D. in cancer biology from Stanford University. Her graduate work examined the intersection between epigenetics and disease: how human cells squeeze two meters of DNA into their nuclei while keeping that DNA accessible and dynamic, and how DNA packaging goes awry during cancer and aging. As a graduate student, Ruth shared her love of science by teaching hands-on classes to students at local schools, hospitals, and museums and by blogging on the San Jose Tech Museum’s website.

After completing her Ph.D., Ruth moved to Washington, DC to serve as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow. Working in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, she collaborated with colleagues in DC and at U.S. Embassies abroad to promote scientific capacity building, science education, and entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa. She managed the Apps4Africa program, which challenges young African innovators to develop mobile apps that tackle problems in their communities. She also traveled to South Africa and Ghana, where she delivered lectures and workshops designed to spark the scientific excitement of young learners.

Ruth is currently a Product Scientist at 23andMe. In her free time, Ruth enjoys running, reading, quoting Seinfeld, and cheering for the UConn Huskies.

Sören Turan

Bayer Pharmaceuticals

Postdoc, Genetics

DFG Fellowship (2013)

• Diploma TU-Braunschweig (Germany) 2007
• Dr. rer. nat. Medical School Hannover (Germany)

Research Interest: Gene Therapy, (Stem) Cell Therapy, Genome Engineering, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing

Monte Winslow

Associate Professor of Genetics and of Pathology

Monte Winslow is an Associate Professor of Genetics and Pathology at Stanford University.

Stacey Wirt Taylor

Commercial Planning Manager

Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp.

Stacey received her B.A. in Biology from Wellesley College and her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford University. Her dissertation focused on uncovering new mechanisms for cell cycle control in mouse embryonic stem cells and neural progenitors. She went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship in genome engineering, where she worked to develop nuclease technology for editing disease-causing mutations in human stem cells. In her spare time, Stacey volunteers at the San Jose Tech Museum, likes to camp and hike throughout Northern California, and is an avid photographer.

Simon H. Stertzer, MD, Professor

Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD is Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and Professor in the Department of Medicine (Cardiology) and Department of Radiology (Molecular Imaging Program) at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Wu received his medical degree from Yale. He completed his medicine internship, residency and cardiology fellowship training at UCLA followed by a PhD (Molecular & Medical Pharmacology) at UCLA. Dr. Wu has received several awards, including the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation Career Award in Medical Sciences, Baxter Foundation Faculty Scholar Award, AHA Innovative Research Award, AHA Established Investigator Award, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, NIH Roadmap Transformative Award, and Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers given out by President Obama. He is on the editorial board of Journal Clinical Investigation, Circulation Research, Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging, JACC Imaging, Human Gene Therapy, Molecular Therapy, Stem Cell Research, and Journal of Nuclear Cardiology. He is a Council Member for the American Society for Clinical Investigation and a Scientific Advisory Board Member for the Keystone Symposia. His clinical activities involve adult congenital heart disease and cardiovascular imaging. His lab research focuses on stem cells, drug discovery, and molecular imaging.

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PhD in Genetics & Genomics

For contact information, please visit the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics website .

The Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics aims to teach our students not only how to apply the approaches of hypothesis-testing genetics and hypothesis-generating genomics to biomedical research, but also how to function as ethical members of the scientific community who can clearly communicate ideas, critically evaluate biomedical research, mentor others in scientific scholarship, and promote equity in their professional activities.

Learning Outcomes

The doctoral programs in Graduate Medical Sciences at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine are designed to train scholars to be leaders in their respective fields of biomedical research. Trainees become fluent in their areas of specialization, as well as develop competencies that provide the foundation for lifelong learning and practice in their chosen field. Trainees will demonstrate and apply the professional and scientific skills necessary to benefit society. The program objectives are delineated below.

By graduation, a Genetics & Genomics PhD student will:

• Generate an original body of work in the biomedical sciences that reflects critical thinking and independent thought.
• Demonstrate competencies in advanced research skills and critical thinking.
• Develop the ability to communicate both through writing and orally within their chosen field of expertise, with specialists and non-experts.
• Demonstrate a commitment to professional development and continued learning in their chosen field.

Toward this end, we have designed a complementary set of degree requirements to meet these goals consisting of traditional coursework, journal clubs, seminar series, and a research proposal–based qualifying examination for PhD students. The coursework will be completed during the first two years of study. Students matriculate in September of their first year as Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) PhD students, and they choose their degree-granting program at the end of their first year. The academic program requirements below reflect the combined program of study.

Please see the general description of the MD/PhD program for combined degree requirements.

PhD Course Requirements

• GMS FC 708 Professional Development Skills
• GMS FC 711 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences I: Protein Structure, Catalysis, and Interactions
• GMS FC 712 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences II: Structure and Function of the Genome
• GMS FC 713 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences III: Architecture and Dynamics of the Cell
• GMS FC 714 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences IV: Mechanisms of Cell Communication
• GMS FC 715 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences V: Translational Genetics and Genomics or  GMS MM 710 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
• GMS FC 721 Statistical Reasoning for the Basic Biomedical Sciences or GMS FC 709 Research Design and Statistical Methods for Biomedical Sciences or GMS MS 750 Fundamentals of Biostatistics Using R
• GMS FC 764 Professional Presentation Skills
• GMS GC 716 Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics (3 units) or GMS GE 706 Deconstructing Systemic Bias: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins or ENG BF 752 Legal and Ethical Issues of Science and Technology
• GMS GE 701 Principles of Genetics and Genomics
• GMS GE 703 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium I
• GMS GE 704 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium II
• ENG EK 800 Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research
• 4 elective units

For MD/PhD Candidates:

For PhD/MS Candidates:

• GMS FC 708 Professional Development Skills
• GMS FC 715 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences V: Translational Genetics and Genomics or GMS MM 710 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
• GMS FC 764 Professional Presentation Skills
• GMS GC 601 Professional Issues in Genetic Counseling
• GMS GC 602 Clinical Genetics
• GMS GC 603 Embryology, Teratology and Prenatal Genetics
• GMS GC 604 Cancer Genetics
• GMS GC 605 Clinical Application in Genetics
• GMS GC 606 or GC 607 Genetic Counseling Seminar
• GMS GC 608 Fundamentals of Counseling in Genetics
• GMS GC 700 Fieldwork I
• GMS GC 702 Fieldwork II
• GMS GC 703 Fieldwork III
• GMS GC 704 Fieldwork IV
• GMS GC 711 Advanced Genetic Counseling
• GMS GC 712 Metabolism and Advanced Risk Assessment
• GMS GC 714 Advanced Medical Genetics (3 units)
• GMS GC 716 Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics (3 units)

See Courses for detailed descriptions.

Laboratory Rotations

Our PhD candidates participate in a minimum of three laboratory rotations to ensure exposure to a variety of scientific approaches. These rotations will last 7–10 weeks each, with one during the fall term and two during the spring term. The rotations are organized during the first year of study while the students are PiBS students and before they officially join the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics. PiBS students begin their first year of studies in the fall term and join their degree-granting program at the end of the spring of their first year. Due to time constraints, MD/PhD students will have the option of joining a dissertation laboratory after two rotations. The academic and research components of the program together typically take 5–6 years of full-time academic study to complete for PhD students, and 4–5 years for dual degree MD/PhD students.

Teaching Requirement

Upon successful completion of the core courses, PhD students serve as teaching assistants (TAs) for one of the program’s courses. The TAs will lead discussion and review sections as well as support exam and homework grading. The TA assignments will be made according to academic performance in the courses in question and with student input. Acting as a TA for one course will satisfy the teaching requirement for the PhD degree, but further teaching opportunities will be available for students who are interested in developing these skills.

The Qualifying Process

Successful completion of the coursework and rotations during the first two years of graduate study will prepare the PhD students to advance to PhD candidacy through the qualifying process. This process depends on the following sequence of events:

• Completion of all required core and elective courses with a passing grade (A to B– average for all courses, with the exception of 900-level courses [research units], which are graded on a Pass/Fail scale).
• Skilled preparation of a 5–10-page, written, grant-style dissertation proposal based on the dissertation research. This portion of the qualifying process will satisfy the written qualification requirement of Graduate Medical Sciences. Students are encouraged to submit this proposal to funding agencies after the completion of the qualifying process.
• Expert performance in an oral examination based on the written proposal. This forum will test the student’s ability to think critically about the area of their dissertation research and about biological problems in general. The examining panel will also be free to explore outside topics in order to assess the student’s knowledge of genetics and genomics broadly. The examining panel will be chosen by the student and dissertation advisor based on related areas of expertise to the proposed dissertation research. The panel will be composed of five faculty members, three members who must be faculty of the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics and two additional members who are faculty members at Boston University but outside the program. The examining panel will be required to adhere to the written guidelines of the Qualifying Examination Format Committee to ensure equitable administration of the exam.
• For students in the dual degree program, they are advised to complete the qualifying exam prior to transitioning to the genetic counseling program of study.

Dissertation Research

Upon advancing to PhD candidacy, graduate students will focus on their dissertation research. This research will be conducted under the supervision of their chosen graduate advisor. The student will be responsible for conducting a rigorous, in-depth program of investigation into an area of research that is within the scope of their graduate advisor’s expertise and interests. The student’s progress will be assessed continuously by the graduate advisor and annually by a Dissertation Advisory Committee. This committee will be composed of the student’s advisor and at least four other faculty members with a minimum of two faculty members from the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics and one division faculty member from an outside program. The Dissertation Advisory Committee will serve to provide outside perspectives on the research program.

While the student is conducting dissertation research, they are expected to actively participate in program seminar series, lab meetings, and other research activities of their dissertation lab. It should be noted that the Boston University Genome Science Institute hosts seminars, including talks from prominent scientists from other institutions as well as talks from scientists with overlapping interests to the program here at BU. Students also have the opportunity to interact more privately with visiting seminar speakers through organized student lunch forums. Students and postdocs also participate in a Research in Progress series of seminars that gives trainees an opportunity to share their research and to learn more about the science going on in the Genetics & Genomics community of Boston University. Furthermore, students will be expected to study “The Responsible Conduct of Research” that is currently available to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine through ENG EK 800.

It is the job of the Dissertation Advisory Committee to facilitate expeditious progress toward the PhD, with most students graduating in 5–6 years total. Once the research has developed into several chapters of publication-quality work, the advisory committee will ask the student to begin compiling their written dissertation, and a date for the Graduate Medical Sciences public seminar and formal dissertation defense will be scheduled. The public seminar will be delivered to a general audience of Graduate Medical Sciences faculty, students, and researchers. Later that day, the public seminar will be followed by a formal dissertation defense, which will occur behind closed doors in the presence of the Dissertation Advisory Committee. This committee will evaluate the student’s dissertation defense and written dissertation for satisfactory completion of the degree requirements.

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Fully Funded PhD Programs in Genetics

As part of our series on How to Fully Fund Your PhD , here is a list of universities that offer fully funded PhD programs in Genetics. A PhD in Genetics opens up many exciting career opportunities in various sectors, including academia, research institutions, industry, and government.

“Full funding” is a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission and an annual stipend or salary for three to six years of the student’s doctoral studies. Funding is typically offered in exchange for graduate teaching and research work complementary to your studies. Not all universities provide full funding for a PhD in Genetics, which is why we recommend researching the financial aid offers at all the potential PhD programs in your academic field, including smaller and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad.

You can also find several external fellowships in the  ProFellow database  for graduate and doctoral study, as well as dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, and summer work experience.

Would you like to receive the full list of more than 1000+ fully funded programs in 60 disciplines?  Download the FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards !

University of Wisconsin-Madison Fully Funded PhD in Genetics

The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a fully funded PhD in Genetics. The Genetics Training Program provides exceptional opportunities to students. The mission is to train students in cutting-edge genetic and genomic research while providing professional development opportunities for successful career trajectories. Students accepted into the PhD degree program initially receive financial aid from either an NIH training grant or graduate school fellowships. In later years, support may be derived from a research assistantship. Genetics students also receive funding from competitive fellowships.

Johns Hopkins University Fully Funded PhD in Human Genetics and Genomics

Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore, Maryland, offers a fully funded PhD in Human Genetics and Genomics. The Johns Hopkins Human Genetics Training Program provides training in all aspects of human genetics and genomics relevant to human biology, health, and disease. The program is supported by a training grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. These fellowships, which are restricted to United States citizens and permanent United States residents, cover tuition, health care insurance, and a stipend during year one. Once a student has joined a thesis lab, all financial responsibilities belong to the mentor.

University of British Columbia Fully Funded PhD in Medical Genetics

The University of British Columbia, based in Canada, offers a fully funded PhD in Medical Genetics. Faculty members in the Department of Medical Genetics are at the forefront of their fields using cutting-edge genetic, epigenetic, genomic, and bioinformatic methodologies to gain insight into diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative and neurological disorders, and other genetic diseases. The recommended minimum yearly stipend for full-time Medical Genetics thesis-based students (Canadian and international) is $28,000 (PhD). The duration of the annual stipend is normally four years for a PhD student. New and current doctoral students at UBC receive the President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award (PAEI) tuition award.

Indiana University Fully Funded PhD in Medical and Molecular Genetics

Indiana University, based in Indianapolis, IN, offers a fully funded PhD in Medical and Molecular Genetics. The Department provides a wide range of research opportunities in the rapidly changing field of human genetics. Students have the freedom to explore research areas through three rotations in laboratories across programs and choose entry into any of the ten PhD programs at the conclusion of the first academic year. Students receive competitive stipends, tuition scholarships, and health insurance. PhD students with eligibility to work in the U.S. receive a competitive annual stipend without a Teaching Assistant requirement as well as tuition scholarships and health and dental insurance.

University of Iowa Fully Funded PhD in Genetics

The University of Iowa, based in Iowa City, IA, offers a fully funded PhD in Genetics. The interdisciplinary PhD program trains students on the frontiers of Genetics research and develops leaders that meet the upcoming challenges in the field of Genetics. Students in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics are eligible for financial support through a combination of training grants, scholarships, fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, University support, and revenue from the Carver Trust. Genetics students receive a guaranteed stipend ($33,000 in 2023 – 2024), full tuition, mandatory fees, and health insurance allowance.

Stanford University Fully Funded PhD in Genetics

Stanford University, based in Stanford, California, offers a fully funded PhD in Genetics. The Genetics PhD program provides opportunities for graduate study in all major areas of modern genetics, including identification and analysis of human disease genes, molecular evolution, gene therapy, statistical genetics, application of model organisms to problems in biology and medicine, and computational and experimental approaches to genome biology. Students receive a competitive stipend ($48, 216 for the 2022-23 Academic Year), tuition, health insurance, and a dental care stipend for a full four years.

McGill University Fully Funded PhD in Human Genetics

McGill University, based in Canada, offers a fully funded PhD in Human Genetics. The Department of Human Genetics provides a unified curriculum of study in genetics. Areas of specialization include biochemical genetics, genetics of development, animal models of human diseases, cancer genetics, molecular pathology, gene therapy, genetic dissection of complex traits, genetics of infectious and inflammatory diseases, non-mendelian genetics, bioinformatics, behavioral genetics, neurogenetics, bioethics, and genomics. Funding amounts to cover tuition & stipend must be secured and guaranteed for the entire duration of a student’s degree program. This funding may be secured through research grants, scholarships, and/or cultural and government agencies. The department does not accept self-funded students.

Wayne State University Fully Funded PhD in Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Wayne State University, based in Detroit, Michigan, offers a fully funded PhD in Molecular Genetics and Genomics. This is a research-intensive graduate program that prepares students for careers in academia or industry. Molecular Genetics and Genomics graduate students receive broad training in genetics, molecular and cellular biology, genomics, functional genomics, systems biology, bioinformatics, and computational and statistical methods. A major component of their training is conducting dissertation research in one of the focus areas of the Center faculty. PhD students are funded by a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) that includes a competitive stipend, paid tuition, and subsidized medical insurance.

Interested in finding funding for graduate school? Sign up to discover and bookmark more than 2,700 professional and academic fellowships, including 1,000+ fully funded Master’s and PhD programs, in the free ProFellow database .

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Human Genetics (PhD)

Program description.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Human Genetics offered by the Department of Human Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences is a research-intensive program that emphasizes engaging and challenging learning opportunities. The program's objective is to equip students with skills in literature synthesis, critical thinking, and academic writing to pursue professional opportunities in academia or industry.

Keywords: Genomics, epigenetics, bioinformatics, computational biology, precision medicine, genetic engineering, immunology, evolution, epidemiology, embryology, developmental, biochemical, behavioural, modeling human diseases, therapies, cancer, neurogenetics, health policy, health inequalities, law, bioethics.

Unique Program Features

• Departmental research interests include cancer genetics, cytogenetics, reproductive biology, neurogenetics, genomic and genetic basis of human diseases;
• Admitted students are guaranteed financial support;
• Many Faculty members in the Department are located in McGill affiliated teaching hospitals, reflecting the medically learned knowledge at the core of human genetic studies;
• Department Faculty members typically hold cross-appointments in various departments at McGill which enables numerous opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration. The McGill departments within the Faculties of Science and Medicine include Biochemistry, Biology, Cardiology, Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology, Neurology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Psychiatry;
• The Department conducts research on all sites of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, the McGill Life Sciences Complex, the McGill University & Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, the Biomedical Ethics Unit, and the Centre for Genomics and Policy.

University-Level Admission Requirements

• An eligible Bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA out of a possible 4.0 GPA
• English-language proficiency

Each program has specific admission requirements including required application documents. Please visit the program website for more details.

Visit our Educational credentials and grade equivalencies and English language proficiency webpages for additional information.

Program Website

PhD in Human Genetics website

Department Contact

Graduate Program dept.humangenetics [at] mcgill.ca (subject: PhD%20in%20Human%20Genetics) (email)

Available Intakes

Application deadlines.

Note : Application deadlines are subject to change without notice. Please check the application portal for the most up-to-date information.

Application Resources

• Application Steps webpage
• Submit Your Application webpage
• Connecting with a supervisor webpage
• Graduate Funding webpage

Application Workshops

Consult our full list of our virtual application-focused workshops on the Events webpage .

Department and University Information

Graduate and postdoctoral studies.

PhD in Human Genetics

We embrace diversity and welcome motivated applicants with backgrounds in diverse fields. Our doctoral program attracts brilliant local, national, and international students with undergraduate training and/or work experience in the biological, behavioral, and quantitative sciences.

Admissions Requirements

• US bachelor’s or graduate degree (or international equivalent) in a discipline related to the biological or behavioral sciences from an accredited college or university. GPA of 3.0 or greater is recommended.
• Introductory courses in genetics and either calculus or statistics are required; additional coursework in biochemistry and behavioral/social sciences is recommended but not required.
• Graduate Record Examination  (GRE) scores are optional. Students who choose to submit GRE or other standardized test scores (i.e. MCAT) can do so with the application for admission.

International Applicants

In addition to the above criteria, international applicants must adhere to additional requirements. 

Information for international applicants

Application Process

• Applications are twice per year, for Fall and Spring matriculation, although new students are strongly encouraged to apply for the Fall semester which matches the intended sequence of course offerings. There is no formal interview process, although the Admissions Committee may request to hold phone or video interviews with promising applicants to gather more information. Applicants wishing to visit the Department in-person are encouraged to do so after receiving an offer of admission.
• Internal applicants, e.g., current MS or MPH students, may apply to the doctoral program after two semesters in good academic standing. Internal applicants shall submit directly to the Office of Student Affairs a dossier containing (1) a cover letter/statement of purpose indicating the applicant's motivation for pursuing a doctorate in Human Genetics and justification for promotion to the doctoral program, and (2) at least two letters of recommendation from mentors/professors who can comment on the applicant’s recent academic and research performance. Internal applicants are strongly encouraged to have identified a willing research mentor prior to applying for promotion to the doctoral program.

Personal Statement

The personal statement provides an opportunity for the applicant to shape the narrative of his or her application. It should address the following questions:

• How have your experiences informed your decision to pursue a degree in Human Genetics?
• What qualifications and experiences have prepared you to succeed in your graduate work?
• Why you have chosen Pitt Public Health?
• What do you seek to gain from your graduate studies and how does this align with future career goals?

How to Apply

Applications for admission to the doctoral program are processed through the Office of Student Affairs at the Graduate School of Public Health. New applications are accepted through the  SOPHAS  system, the centralized application service for graduate schools of public health. Please note, SOPHAS routes applications to the School of Public Health only after all required materials are received. Applicants who have submitted applications may track their status online.

Application deadlines

SOPHAS Application Student Handbook Frequently Asked Questions

Learn More about HUGEN

Learn more about why you should choose Human Genetics at Pitt Public Health: Admissions Events

Admissions Questions

Noel C. Harrie Student services coordinator 412-624-3066 [email protected]

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PhD Program

The Department of Genetics Genome Sciences embraces a unified program devoted to outstanding research and teaching in all areas of genetics, with particular emphases on genetics and genomics, human and model system genetics, animal models of human disease, stem cell models of human disease, epigenetics and the regulation of gene expression, therapeutic targets of human genetic disease, as well as developmental genetics. Faculty conduct internationally recognized research programs in each of these areas. They also are committed to training the next generation of leading genetics researchers. The Department has several affiliated programs that provide additional research and training opportunities, including the Center for Human Genetics at University Hospitals and the Genomics Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic .

The GGS graduate program has maintained an active student body for many years and consistently has 25-30 students enrolled.  The student body provides the momentum and driving force for research in the department.  During the last six years, GGS students published 1st author papers in Cell Stem Cell, Genome Research, Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Genetics, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Since 2012, eight GGS students have been awarded pre-doctoral fellowships from American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.  A 2015 graduate, Olivia Corradin, was recently selected to be a Whitehead Fellow, a highly selective and prestigious program at the Whitehead Institute and MIT that provides support for her own independent research program right out of her graduate studies without further postdoctoral training.

The department has a strong, long-standing commitment to providing excellence in graduate education. The department offers a well-developed training program that integrates courses, workshops, journal clubs and student seminars to help students to develop research capabilities as well as other crucial skills such as oral and written presentations.  Students are expected to present a research seminar annually to the department followed by a brief session that critiques the presentation by faculty members.  The graduate program directors, the department chair and the thesis committee chair formally review students’ academic progress annually.  The time to degree in 2013-2019 is 5.42 years.  The program supports students’ career development by advising students on teaching opportunities, obtaining clinical laboratory experience, etc.  

How to Apply

Applications to the PhD program in Genetics and Genome Sciences are through the Biomedical Scientist Training Program (BSTP) , which provides access to most of the biomedical science PhD programs at CWRU during the first semester.

The BSTP is a highly competitive program. You are encouraged to apply in the fall or early winter (by October 15) and begin your studies the following summer. Your application will be considered by the Admissions Committee as soon as it is complete, and applications are accepted until January 1.

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nav = Genetics and Epigenetics

GENETICS & EPIGENETICS

Research in Genetic & Epigenetic labs is broadly focused on the fundamental genetic, epigenetic, and genomic mechanisms that control cell growth and differentiation, and that cause cancer and other human diseases.

Welcome to G&E!

The Genetics & Epigenetics (G&E) Program is a research-oriented PhD and MS program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The research in G&E labs is broadly focused on the fundamental genetic, epigenetic, and genomic mechanisms that control cell growth and differentiation, and that cause cancer and other human diseases. From basic science investigations to translational studies, G&E students and faculty are actively engaged in the pursuit of new scientific knowledge that could one day lead to clinical advances.

The Program aims to train students who are knowledgeable, critical, and productive independent scientists. We achieve this through cutting-edge research projects, classes, seminars, retreat, laboratory collaborations, social gatherings and career development activities.

G&E labs are located throughout the Texas Medical Center, including MD Anderson and UTHealth (McGovern Medical School, School of Public Health, School of Dentistry, and School of Biomedical Informatics). 

Image at right shows that, in inner mitochondria membrane, a lipophilic metabolite called ubiquinol (blue dots) is quenching lipid peroxides (which make inner mitochondria membrane “on fire”), and suppresses cell death called ferroptosis. From the lab of Boyi Gan, PhD. Mao, C., et al.  Nature 2021 . 

Welcome to the G&E Program!

With rapid advances in genetic and epigenetic technologies revolutionizing trainee potential to advance biomedical discovery, the Genetics and Epigenetics (G&E) program prides itself on balancing students’ academic development with an engaged, supportive academic community. Scientifically rooted in our mission to advance fundamental innovation through education, the G&E program distinguishes itself by facilitating the development of our trainees’ intrapersonal networks through our committed faculty and integrated research community, fostering student well-being and career advancement.

G&E's curriculum balances the scientific breadth of the graduate school’s core curriculum with the depth of advanced courses, seminars, and hands-on research, developing students’ expertise in genetics, epigenetics, and genomics. The program’s ~50 students train alongside world-renowned faculty at MD Anderson and UTHealth, engaging in groundbreaking research projects that investigate diverse topics, including cancer genetics, developmental genetics, epigenetics, genome maintenance & repair, and human genetics. Thus, the foundation of our program is fundamental genetic and epigenetic discovery, and its interdisciplinary nature inherently facilitates collaborative learning to foster significant discoveries. G&E students emerge from our program well-equipped through their holistic training to apply through multiple career trajectories in academia, industry, or clinical settings.

Drawing on the rich biomedical environment in the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the largest and one of the most comprehensive and physically concentrated biomedical environments in the world, G&E students have access to boundless scientific resources and expertise. The limitless potential of this academic setting can be intimidating, but the vast opportunities it provides are made accessible through the expertise of our collaborative faculty. Our faculty’s use of a variety of model systems, abundant human data, and advanced technology available in the TMC is a distinguishing feature of the G&E program and enables our trainees to investigate core questions, ranging from stem cells and regeneration to genetic engineering and disease mechanisms. This unique environment cultivates unique opportunities for students to drive forward our understanding of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, equipping the next generation of scientists to impact biomedicine.

The G&E program is a student-focused program that emphasizes the interpersonal development of our trainees by prioritizing scientific and social interactions. Our student-led events provide leadership opportunities for students to shape interactive retreats, symposia, and social events with the guidance of faculty sponsors. Furthermore, our program encourages student engagement with the national and international scientific community through supporting membership in scientific societies and travel to conferences and courses, reinforcing their academic and professional network.      

The G&E community is deeply committed to enhancing training by promoting student wellness and success. Being attentive to the individual needs of our students and amplifying unique perspectives provides the foundation to transform academic values to create a supportive culture. The well-being of our students is integral to the vibrance of the G&E program, and therefore, is a vital focus of our program!

Rachel Miller, PhD, Program Director George Eisenhoffer, PhD, Program Co-Director

The G&E Program is broadly focused on the fundamental genetic, epigenetic, and genomic mechanisms that control cell growth and differentiation, and that cause cancer and other human diseases. From basic science investigations to translational studies, G&E students and faculty are actively engaged in the pursuit of new scientific knowledge that could one day lead to clinical advances. Below are the broad areas of research being performed in G&E Program labs.

Developmental Genetics

Human genetics, cancer genetics.

• Genome Maintenance & Repair

Nearly every cell in our body has the exact same genome, yet that DNA blueprint is interpreted differently in specific settings to create many different cell types. How is the same genetic code read so differently to generate this cellular diversity? How do defects in reading the code lead to pathologies?  

The answers to these questions are found in the study of epigenetics, which refers to heritable phenotypic changes that are not mediated by changes in DNA sequence but rather by alterations in genome organization.

DNA is highly compacted within the eukaryotic nucleus in the form of chromatin, which is built from repeating units of histone-DNA particles called nucleosomes.  Nucleosome placement, density, and higher order folding all impact accessibility of DNA sequences to transcription factors and regulatory proteins, thereby affecting patterns of gene expression.

Changes in chromatin structure control where, when and at what level genes are expressed during embryogenesis and after birth.  They also control cellular responses to environmental and physiological changes. Moreover, proper chromatin organization is crucial for maintenance of genome integrity. 

Epigenetic abnormalities are associated with loss of cell identity, genome instability, deregulated growth, and abnormal response to signal transduction pathways, thereby contributing to disease states.  

The G&E Program faculty are defining how epigenetic factors impact gene transcription, DNA recombination, DNA repair, and DNA replication in normal cells in order to understand how epigenetic abnormalities contribute to cancer development and progression. 

Since epigenetic changes are often reversible, our studies provide strong molecular frameworks for the development of new therapies targeting regulators of key epigenetic events such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, or expression of non-coding RNAs.

It is remarkable that a single cell, the fertilized egg, will consistently form an individual with differentiated tissues and organs, positioned correctly within the body. What are the genes that regulate these processes during embryogenesis? How do different cells and tissues interact to form functional organs and organ systems? Which genes when mutated lead to birth defects?

These types of questions can be answered by studying developmental genetics, which focuses on genes and genetic pathways that regulate embryological, postnatal, and regenerative processes.

In the G&E Program, numerous labs utilize genetic approaches in model organisms including Drosophila , C. elegans , Xenopus , zebrafish, and mouse, to study a variety of developmental processes.

These processes include cell fate and differentiation, inductive interactions between tissues, tissue morphogenesis and organogenesis, and stem cell biology and regeneration. A primary strength using these model systems is that these studies are predominantly carried out in vivo .

Interestingly, many of the genes used by the embryo during development are also deployed later in the adult organism to regulate physiological processes, including homeostasis, wound healing and regeneration. Thus, many of the G&E Program labs exploit these model systems to study genes involved in physiological processes that when altered lead to pathologies that mimic human diseases. Basic knowledge produced by developmental studies fuels translational and clinical research that one day will lead to disease therapies.

Why do some people have an increased lifetime risk for developing cancer or chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease? Is there a genetic explanation for the repeated occurrence of these conditions among members of the same family? What are the genetic variants inherited within families that can be detected and linked to these conditions?

The answers to these questions are found in the study of human genetics. Human genetics research has the primary goal of identifying the molecular basis of inherited disorders, elucidating the genetic and genomic basis of chronic conditions, as well as developing computational tools based on analytical methods to identify disease susceptibility loci and individuals at risk for developing disease.

Human genetics research involves utilizing a broad set of techniques and knowledge, including the basic principles of molecular biology, mendelian genetics and the latest genomic tools, including next-generation DNA sequencing and bioinformatics.

G&E Program faculty are identifying mutations and genetic variants that provide a molecular explanation of inherited human diseases. Understanding the molecular basis of human genetic diseases can lead to disease prevention and the development of treatments and cures.

Cancer is a genetic disease. Mutations that cause cancer alter fundamental cell behaviors, including growth, proliferation, and migration.  How do you identify genes that influence cancer formation and progression?

One way is to use human genetics to identify cancer-causing gene mutations that are inherited. Another way is to correlate genetic lesions found in sporadically occurring tumors. A powerful approach to identify and understand cancer-causing genes is to use model organisms.

In the G&E Program, these model organisms include the fruit fly ( Drosophila ), the nematode worm ( C. elegans ), zebrafish, and the mouse. These systems can be used for large-scale in vivo genetic screens to identify cancer-causing genes or candidate cancer-causing genes can be engineered to create models of human cancer. These powerful genetic systems have led to the identification of genetic pathways that regulate cell behaviors that when mutated lead to tumor formation and metastasis.

Human patients and families with genetic defects contribute to our studies and help inform our thinking as we ultimately hope that this knowledge can provide cures.

Genome Maintenance and Repair

The genome is constantly being challenged by internal and external forces that cause DNA damage. DNA damage results from both programmed cellular processes, such as those required for meiotic crossover and antibody diversity, and spontaneous damage, such as errors in DNA replication, the cellular generation of damage-inducing chemicals, exposure to irradiation or chemicals present in the environment.

Cells have developed many distinct ways to repair DNA damage, but not all DNA damage is properly repaired. Incorrectly repaired DNA damage can lead to genome rearrangements from point mutations to chromosome breaks or loss. Incorrectly repaired DNA can also lead to programmed cell death.

How do cells recognize, respond to and correctly repair DNA damage? How does improper repair influence genome stability? How does failure to repair lead to programmed cell death? How do cancer cells with genome damage bypass cell death?

Many G&E Program laboratories are uncovering how cells recognize and respond to DNA damage, with an emphasis on the genetic and epigenetic factors involved in these processes. G&E Program labs are defining the protein complexes and enzymatic activities that recognize and repair different types of DNA damage, while discovering signaling pathways induced to impose cell cycle checkpoints, to facilitate DNA repair, and to promote other cellular process such as programmed cell death. Ultimately these discoveries will lead to novel strategies for increasing the vulnerability of cancer cells to specific therapeutic strategies.

Click the text link below to see list of G&E faculty seeking students, along with one-page research summaries of many of the faculty. See research profiles of all G&E faculty via the GSBS G&E Faculty Directory . 

G&E Faculty Seeking Students

September 12 2024

Gne - data science work group, september 13 2024, g&e ice cream & games social, october 10 2024, gne - easy science club.

Dent, Raymond elected to NAS

van Hoof named 2023 Darlington Mentor awardee

Alumna Jovanka Gencel-Augusto, PhD, earns the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship; offers insight into the pursuit of postdoc opportunities

Cole named 2022 Oldham faculty award recipient

Ahmed Emam, MS, publishes research on genomic instability in Nature Cell Biology

Activities and awards.

G&E Program Events - Each 2nd Thursday from 12:30 - 1:30 pm (each series will rotate)

G&E GEM Student Seminar Series.  Two students present their thesis research in 20-minute talks. Everyone welcome!

Easy Science Coffee Club.  This club offers a focus on presentation skills in a fun and easy way.  For students only.

G&E Faculty Insight Series . Informal dialog (without slides) with a faculty member about their career and how they have navigated scientific and career challenges. Everyone welcome!

2024 G&E EVENTS

G&E Annual Retreat : October 25-26, 2024 South Shore Harbour, League City, TX Keynote Speaker: TBD

G&E/Immunology Annual Spring Career Symposium : May 24th, 10 am - 6 pm G&E Spring Rotation Talks : May 8th & 9th at 2:30 pm G&E Winter Rotation Talks : March 6th & 7th at 2:30 pm G&E/Neuroscience Arts Showcase : January 26th, 3 - 5 pm G&E/ISA Lunar New Year Event: February 26th, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

2023 G&E EVENTS

G&E Annual Retreat : October 27-28, 2023 Camp Allen, Navasota, TX Keynote Speaker: John Rinn, PhD,  Leslie Orgel Professor of RNA Science., BioFrontiers Institute University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Biochemistry

G&E/Quantitative Sciences Summer Social: June 7th, 5 - 7 pm G&E Annual Spring Career Symposium : May 10th, 9 am - 5 pm G&E Spring Rotation Talks : May 8th at 2:30 pm and May 9th at 10 am G&E Winter Rotation Talks : March 9th and 10th at 2 pm G&E/Neuroscience Arts Showcase : February 15th, 3 - 5 pm G&E Lunar New Year Event: January 23rd, 4 - 6 pm G&E Fall Rotation Talks:  December 12th and 14th at 1 pm

2021 and 2022 G&E EVENTS

G&E Annual Retreat : November 4-5, 2022 G&E Annual Spring Career Symposium: May 20th, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm G&E Spring Rotation Talks:   May 11th and 12th at 1:00 pm

2021 - Present G&E Winter Rotation Talks: March 2nd and 3rd, at 1:30 pm G&E March GEM Student Seminar: Every 2nd Thursday of the Month

Annual Events

G&E 2021 Annual Retreat: October 22-23, 2021 G&E 2021 Spring Career Symposium: April 23, 2021:   Schedule and Information G&E and Neuroscience 2021 Arts Showcase:  January 27, 2021 .  More information and Exhibitor Program G&E 2021 Lunar New Year Event :   February 25, 2021 

2021 G&E Gem Student Seminar Series scientific and career challenges. 

July GEM: Malcolm Moses (Richard Behringer lab): "Identifying enhancers in sex determination" and Ruoyu Wang (Wenbo Li Lab): "Mapping m6A modification on nascent RNAs"

June GEM: Celine Kong (Jichao Chen lab): "Role of endothelial NTRK2 in respiratory virus-induced lung injury" and Jie Ye (Jianjun ZHang and Nicholas Navin labs): "The impact of subclonal diversity on clinical outcomes in localized NSCLS"

May GEM: Ahmed Emam (Bin Wang lab): "Investigating the role of Abro1 in DNA damage-induced immune response" and Archit Ghosh (Kunal Rai lab): "Disentangling hierarchical chromatin loops in melanoma metastasis"

April GEM: Jace Aloway (Richard Behringer lab): "ACVR1 signaling in sex determination" and Phuoc Nguyen (Wenbo Li lab): "Improving immune checkpoint therapy to breast cancer by targeting RNA binding protein"

March GEM: Ruth Barros De Paul (John Tainer lab): "Unveiling the role of G-quadruplex DNA and G4-22 in human genetics" and Jellisa Ewan (Ambro van Hoof lab): "Investigating the uncharted functions of the Dcp2 decapping enzyme"

February GEM: Amelie Albrecht (Xuetong Shen lab): "Actin tyrosine phosphorylation as a novel regulator of PI3K signaling" and Frederick Robinson (Giulio Draetta lab): "TP53 dependent adaptation to XPO1 inhibitor unmasks novel sequential drug combinations in colorectal cancer"

January GEM: Safia Essien (George Eisenhoffer lab): "Assessing the role of MIF in apoptosis-induced proliferation in zebrafish

G&E Rotation Talks

December, March and May annually

G&E G&E Faculty Insight Series (FIS)

June 2022: Momoko Yoshimoto, MD, PhD, Associate   Professor, Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, IMM, McGovern Medical School April 2022: Blaine Bartholomew, PhD,  Professor, Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson March 2022: Margarida Santos, PhD, Assistant Professor, Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson January 2022: Sharon Dent, PhD, Professor and Chair, Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson October 2021: Pierre McCrea, PhD, Professor, Genetics, MD Anderson May 2021:   Rachel Miller , PhD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics-Research, UTHealth April 2021 : Richard Wood, PhD, Professor, Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson March 2021 : George   Eisenhoffer, PhD, Assistant Professor, Genetics, MD Anderson January 2021 : Michelle Hildebrandt, P:hD, Associate Professor, Lymphoma-Myeloma, MD Anderson

G&E Historical Perspectives in Science Lecture

July 2021 : Nathaniel Comfort, PhD, Johns Hopkins University February 2021: Nicole  Nelson, PhD, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison

Congratulations G&E Student Fellowship, Scholarship and Award Recipients! (partial list, 2020-2023)

Mary Adeyeye (Advisor, Xiangli Yang, PhD) Michael E. Kupferman, M.D. Fellowship. Dr. Kupferman, 2023-2024

Vahid Bahrambeigi (Advisor, Anirban Maitra, MBBS) Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2023 Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2022-2023 renewal American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2022-2023 Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2021-2022

Bhargavi Brahmendra Barathi (Advisor, Jason Huse, MD, PhD) 1st place Elevator Speech Competition, Pre-Candidacy PhD, MS & SMS, 1st Year - GSBS Student Research Day 2023

Ahmed Emam (Advisor, John Tainer, PhD) Steve Lasher and Janiece Longoria Graduate Student Research Award in Cancer Biology, 2023-2024

Shannon Erhardt (Advisor, Jun Wang, PhD) Schissler Foundation Fellowship, 2024-2025 Jesse B. Heath, Jr. Family Legacy Award, 2023-2024 2nd place, Oral Presentation Skills, Pre-Candidacy PhD, MS & SMS, 1st Year - GSBS Student Research Day 2022

Safia Essien (Advisor, George Eisenhoffer, PhD) American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2020-2021, 2021-2022 Tzu Chi Scholar, 2020

Melissa Frasca (Advisor, Francesca Cole, PhD) Linda M. Wells GSBS Outreach Award, 2023

Maria Gacha Garay (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD) R.W. Butcher Student Achievement Award, 2023-2024 Larry Deaven Ph.D. Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences, 2022-2023

Archit Ghosh (Advisor, Kunal Rai, PhD) Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2021

Dalia Hassan (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD) T.C. Hsu Memorial Scholarship, 2023-2024

Mo-Fan Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee, PhD) GSEC Dean's Research Award, 2024 Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2024 Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2023-2024 renewal The Antje Wuelfrath Gee and Harry Gee, Jr. Family Legacy Scholarship, 2022-2023 Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2022-2023

Ericka Humphrey (Advisor, Yejing Ge, PhD) Wei Yu Family Endowed Scholarship, 2023-2024 Deans Excellence Scholarship - Renewal, 2022-2023

Celine Kong (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD) Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2023 Renewal

Annette Machado (Advisor, Jason Muse, PhD) The Academy IMSD T32 Training Fellowship, 2024

Rhiannon Morrissey (Advisor, Gigi Lozano, PhD) NIH F31 Fellowship, 2020-2023 American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2020

Nick Newkirk (Advisor, Swathi Arur, PhD) American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2023-2024 - Renewal American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2022-2023

Sreepradha Sridharan (Advisor, Michael Galko, PhD) American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2023-2024

Heather Tsong (Advisor, Andrea Stavoe, PhD) Russell and Diana Hawkins Family Foundation Discovery Fellowship, 2024-2025 Investing in Student Futures Fellowship, 2022-2023 2nd place, Oral Presentation Skills, Post-Candidacy PhD - GSBS Student Research Day 2023

Llaran Turner (Advisor, George Eisenhoffer, PhD) American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2023-2024 1st place, Oral Presentation Skills, Pre-Candidacy PhD, MS & SMS, 1st Year - GSBS Student Research Day 2023

Mith V (Advisor, Gigi Lozano, PhD) Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Endowment Scholarship, 2023-2024 Dean’s Excellence Scholarship - Renewal, 2023-2024

Brandy Walker (Advisor, Rachel Miller, PhD) Gigli Family Endowed Scholarship, 2023-2024

Ruoyu Wang (Advisor, Wenbo Li, PhD) Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2023 Renewal Presidents' Research Excellence Award, 2022-2023 GSBS Presidents' Research Scholarship, 2022 John and Rebekah Harper Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences, 2022-2023 renewal John and Rebekah Harper Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences, 2021-2022

Hanghui Ye (Advisor, Nicholas Navin, PhD) Sowell-Huggins Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2023-2024 renewal Sowell-Huggins Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2022-2023 renewal Sowell-Huggins Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2021-2022

2024 G&E Student Service Award Recipients

Jace Aloway Bhargavi Barathi Brahmendra Shannon Erhardt Melissa Frasca Ericka Humphrey Josh  Lindenberger Anna Miao Julianna Quinn Renee Rubiano Heather Tsong Mith V D'Shaunique Walters

Communications

G&E on X: https://twitter.com/UTGSBSGnE

G&e on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utgsbsgne/, g&e on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/131236770777190/      , latest g&e students to win gsbs fellowships and scholarships .

Mo-Fan (Elena) Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee, PhD): GSEC Dean's Research Award, 2024 Ericka Humphrey (Advisor, Yejing Ge, PhD): 2023-2024 UTHealthLeads MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate Student School Fellows Heather Tsong (Advisor, Andrea Stavoe, PhD): 2023-2024 UTHealthLeads MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate Student School Fellows Mo-Fan (Elena) Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee, PhD): Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2024 Mith V (Advisor, Gigi Lozano, PhD): Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Endowment Scholarship, 2023-2024 Mary Adeyeye (Advisor, Xiangli Yang, PhD) : Michael E. Kupferman, M.D. Fellowship. Dr. Kupferman, 2023-2024 Shannon Erhardt (Advisor, Jun Wang, PhD): Jesse B. Heath, Jr. Family Legacy Award, 2023-2024 Brandy Walker (Advisor, Rachel Miller, PhD): Gigli Family Endowed Scholarship, 2023-2024 Dalia Hassan (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD:) T.C. Hsu Memorial Scholarship, 2023-2024 Ahmed Emam (Advisor, John Tainer, PhD): Steve Lasher and Janiece Longoria Graduate Student Research Award in Cancer Biology, 2023-2024 Majo Gacha Garay (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD): R.W. Butcher Student Achievement Award, 2023-2024 Ericka Humphrey  (Advisor, Yejing Ge, PhD) : Wei Yu Family Endowed Scholarship, 2023-2024 Heather Tsong (Advisor, Andrea Stavoe, PhD): 1 st Place Platform Talk - 2023 G&E Retreat Han Bit Baek (Advisor, Swathi Arur, PhD): 2 nd Place Platform Talk - 2023 G&E Retreat Llaran Turner (Advisor, George Eisenhoffer, PhD): People’s Choice Platform Talk - 2023 G&E Retreat Samantha Mota (Advisor, Michael Galko, PhD): 1 st Place Pre-Candidacy Poster (tie) - 2023 G&E Retreat Sseu-Pei Hwang (Advisor, Catherine Denicourt, PhD): 1 st Place Pre-Candidacy Poster (tie) - 2023 G&E Retreat Anna Miao (Advisor, Don Gibbons, PhD): 1 st Place Pre-Candidacy Poster (tie) - 2023 G&E Retreat Mo-Fan (Elena) Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee, PhD): 1 st Place Post-Candidacy Poster - 2023 G&E Retreat Majo Gacha Garay (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD): 2 nd Place Post-Candidacy Poster - 2023 G&E Retreat Guillaume Trusz (Advisor, Michael Curran, PhD): 1 st Place Pre-Candidacy Poster Flash Talk - 2023 G&E Retreat Jace Aloway (Advisor, Richard Behringer, PhD): 1 st Place Post-Candidacy Poster Flash Talk - 2023 G&E Retreat Melissa Frasca (Advisor, Francesca Cole, PhD):  Linda M. Wells GSBS Outreach Award, 2023 Mo-Fan (Elena) Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee, PhD): Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2023-2024 renewal Hanghui Ye (Advisor, Nick Navin, PhD): Andrew Sowell - Wade Huggins Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2023-2024 renewal Llaran Turner (Advisor, George Eisenhoffer, PhD): 2023-2024 American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research Vahid Bahrambeigi (Advisor, Anirban Maitra, MBBS):  Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2023 Mo-Fan (Elena) Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee, PhD): The Antje Wuelfrath Gee and Harry Gee, Jr. Family Legacy Scholarship, 2022-2023 Celine Kong (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD): Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2023 Renewal Heather Tsong (Advisor, Andrea Stavoe, PhD): Investing in Student Futures Fellowship, 2022-2023 Ruoyu Wang (Advisor, Wenbo Li, PhD): Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, 2023 Renewal Ruoyu Wang (Advisor, Wenbo Li, PhD) : 2022-2023 Presidents' Research Excellence Award  Ruoyu Wang (Advisor, Wenbo Li, PhD) :  2022 GSBS Presidents' Research Scholarship Ericka Humphrey (Advisor, Yejing Ge, PhD) :2022-2023 Deans Excellence Scholarship - Renewal Hanghui Ye (Advisor, Nicholas Navin, PhD) : Sowell-Huggins Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2022-2023 renewal Ruoyu Wang (Advisor, Wenbo Li, PhD) : John and Rebekah Harper Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences, 2022-2023 renewal Vahid Bahrambeigi (Advisor, Anirban Maitra, MBBS) : Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2022-2023 renewal Vahid Bahrambeigi (Advisor, Anirban Maitra, MBBS) : American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2022-2023 Maria Gacha Garay (Advisor, Jichao Chen, PhD) : Larry Deaven Ph.D. Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences, 2022-2023 Nick Newkirk (Advisor, Swathi Arur, PhD) : American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, 2022-2023 Mo-Fan (Elena) Huang (Advisor, Dung-Fang Lee) : Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, 2022-2023

See list of G&E student award recipients in ' Awards' section.

G&E GSBS Student Research Day 2023 Award Winners:

Llaran Turner ( Advisor, George Esienhoffer, PhD):  1st place, Oral Presentation Skills, Pre-Candidacy PhD, MS & SMS, 1st Year Bhargavi Brahmendra Barathi (Advisor, Jason Huse, MD, PhD): 1st place Elevator Speech Competition, Pre-Candidacy PhD, MS & SMS, 1st Year  Heather Tsong (Advisor, Andrea Stavoe, PhD): 2nd place, Oral Presentation Skills, Post-Candidacy PhD 

G&E GSBS Student Research Day 2022 Award Winners:

Shannon Erhardt (Advisor, Jun Wang, PhD):  2nd place, Oral Presentation Skills, Pre-Candidacy PhD, MS & SMS, 1st Year Raisa Reyes Castro (Advisor, Swathi Arur, PhD):  1st place, Poster Competitions, Post-Candidacy PhD

Boyi Gan Receives 2021 MD Anderson Faculty Achievement Award in Basic Research (August 2021)

Boyi Gan, PhD, G&E faculty member and Associate Professor, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson is the recipient of the  MD Anderson Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend Faculty Achievement Award in Basic Research. His award will be presented at the Faculty Honors Convocation later this year.

David Johnson, PhD Receives 2021 Oldham Faculty Award (August 2021)

David Johnson, PhD , G&E faculty member and Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis at MD Anderson is the recipient of the 2021 D. Dudley and Judy White Oldham Faculty Award. As noted in the GSBS Essential: "The purpose of the award is to recognize an exceptional faculty member who consistently demonstrates excellence in service and leadership at the school". 

G&E Director Wins McGovern Teaching Award (July 2021)

Dr. Jichao Chen, G&E Director and Associate Professor of Pulmonary Medicine-Research at MD Anderson wins 2021 McGovern Award for Outstanding Teaching. This award recognizes excellence in teaching based on the educator’s knowledge of the subject, interest in/enthusiasm for teaching, interest in and understanding of students, responsiveness to student questions and encouragement of independent thinking, and accessibility to students. Each year, GSBS students nominate and vote for the winner. 

G&E Library

G&E offers a lending library located in Amy Carter’s office at GSBS. More than 40 books will be available for check-out. From biology textbooks, scientific resources and biographies, to R programming, writing guides, and personal productivity, you'll find a huge breadth of topics of interest to our graduate program community. See book list here .  

G&E Social Media

Rachel Miller, PhD G&E Program Director Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School Office: MSE R414 Email:  [email protected] | Tel: 713-500-6537

George Eisenhoffer, PhD G&E Program Co-Director Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Office: MDA S11.8136C  Email: [email protected]   | Tel: 713- 563-2754

Amy Carter G&E Program Manager GSBS Office - BSRB S3.8332a Telephone: 713-745-0659 email: [email protected]

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MIT Biological Engineering’s mission is to generate and communicate new knowledge in the application of engineering principles in biological systems and to educate leaders in our discipline. We focus at the interface of engineering and biology on combining quantitative, physical, and integrative engineering principles with modern life sciences research. MIT BE offers a graduate PhD degree, and only accepts PhD applications through the annual Departmental process for admission fall term of the following year.

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PhD in Human Genetics: Admission,Top Colleges, Syllabus, Fees, Jobs 2024

Waqar Niyazi

Content Curator

PhD in Human Genetics is a doctorate level program in Human Genetics. It is the study of genes, heredity, variations and mutations in the human population, fundamentals of chromosomal structures including segregation and recombination, pedigree analysis, Patterns of inheritance etc.The duration of Ph.D. in Human Genetics program is 2 to 5 years.

The minimum eligibility is a Master's degree or M.Phil in human genetics or in any relevant subject with a minimum of 50% of marks at the undergraduate level. The Admission Process for PhD in Human Genetics is either on merit basis or on marks secured by a student in the entrance examinations. The average annual fee charged for PhD in Human Genetics ranges between INR 10,000 and INR 2,00,000.

The average salary ranges from INR 7,00,000 to INR 12,00,000 annually after successfully completing Phd In Human Genetics. PhD in Human Genetics offers opportunities in various educational institutions, clinical labs, human genome projects, healthcare centers, life sciences research centers and so on. Some of the Top Colleges that offer admission are Banaras Hindu University, Punjab university, Andhra University etc.

Table of Content

PhD Human Genetics: Course Highlights

Phd human genetics: what is it about.

2.1  Why Study?

PhD Human Genetics: Admission Process

3.1  Eligibility

3.2  Entrance Exam

PhD Human Genetics: Top colleges

4.1  College Comparison

PhD Human Genetics: Syllabus

5.1  Books

PhD Human Genetics: Course Comparison

Phd human genetics: jobs.

7.1  Future Scope

PhD Human Genetics: FAQs

Highlights for Ph.D. in Human Genetics programs are provided below in the table.

Information and details about the Ph.D. in Human Genetics are as follows.

• The Ph.D. in Human Genetics course is structured in such a manner that it delivers in-depth knowledge and research into Human Genetics and all the horizons that it touches.
• Ph.D. in Human Genetics offers knowledge of how genetic research can be applied in principles and practice to human health and diseases.
• The objective of the course is to prepare students to conduct high-quality research , to deliver education in the domain and an individual's frontier of knowledge in the same.
• The subjects that are taught in Ph.D. in Human Genetics includes Fundamentals of chromosomal structures and function, including segregation and recombination, fundamentals of gene structure and functions including genetic variation and mutation in human populations, patterns of inheritance (Mendelian and Non Mendelian) etc.

PhD Human Genetics: Why this Course?

Some of the reasons to study Ph.D. in Human Genetics are mentioned below.

• Being a doctorate level course Ph.D. in Human Genetics offers employment with high pay in both public and private sectors. Also, there are high career opportunities available to the candidates after completing the Ph.D. program.
• Ph.D. in Human Genetics is a reputed profession where an individual can choose to work in India or abroad too.
• Students pursuing Ph.D. in Human Genetics are required to execute research on a specific topic related to their subject as a part of the academic curriculum.
• Students pursuing Ph.D. programs get to learn more in the practical classes and through fieldwork which will directly help them in assessing their capabilities.
• Students will be able to conduct high quality research and present the same in the graphical form. Such students can become great teachers and professors after the completion of Ph.D. in Human Genetics.

The admission process of Ph.D. in Human Genetics may vary from college to college.

Merit Based

Every institution has their own admission criteria for admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics. Some of the colleges/universities offer direct admission to the students who have completed their master's degree or M.Phil while some of the institutes conduct their own entrance examinations and give admission to the students who have successfully cleared their entrance examinations. Also, some institutions conduct a group discussion round or personal interview, in order to get admission candidates are required to clear this group discussion round or personal interview.

Entrance Based

• Step 1: Start with registering yourself by creating a basic account with some general details like email ID,phone number, etc. on the web portal of any college/university/institution you are applying to.
• Step 2: Fill up the application form with all necessary details and care must be taken while filling out the application form to ensure that all the details are correct and accurate.
• Step 3: Scan and upload your required documents like your marksheets, birth certificates etc. Must check the format specified on the institution's web portal for documents, as they need to be uploaded in that specified format only.
• Step 4: Pay the minimal application fee online during the submission of application form.
• Step 5: Once, you are done with your application form, you can download your admit card from that respective web portal only.
• Step 6: Appear for the examination on the respective date and time mentioned on your admit card.
• Step 7: Wait for your entrance exam results. It generally took a couple of weeks after the examination date to announce the results. If a candidate is successful in qualifying the entrance exam they can move forward then.

PhD Human Genetics: Eligibility

The eligibility criteria required for admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics may vary from college to college. However, candidates who are interested in pursuing Ph.D. in Human Genetics need to fulfill the following criteria.

• Candidates must have completed the master's degree or M.Phil in science or any relevant field from any recognized university/college or institution.
• Candidates are required to have at least minimum 50% marks at the graduate level.
• Candidates are also required to fulfill the criteria imposed by the particular institute they are applying to.

PhD Human Genetics: Entrance Exam

Some of the most common entrance examinations that are conducted to give admissions to the eligible candidates are as follows.

PhD Human Genetics: Entrance Exam Tips

The competition among the candidates to take admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics is high, therefore it is extremely difficult to crack the exam. Here, below are some tips which might help you to crack the exam.

• Adapt the syllabus and exam pattern: It is very important to be well versed with exam syllabus and patterns because most of the Ph.D. entrance examinations comprises two papers- I & II. Paper I contains the questions which examines your teaching and research aptitude, while paper II contains subject specific questions.
• Take Ph.D. oriented Mock Tests & Question Papers: To score high marks in the entrance examinations, it is extremely important to take regular mock tests as much as possible and practice the previous year question papers on a regular basis.
• Check for Previous Exam Analysis by Students: Every year certain changes are made in the exam pattern and question level so it is mandatory to go through the exam analysis to know the difficulty level and the type of questions asked.
• Buy Best Books: Choose the best study material and the reference books.

PhD Human genetics: Tips for College Admission

To get admission into the top college offering Ph.D. in Human Genetics, it is important to take care of the following things.

• While applying for admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics it is important to check whether you are eligible or not and if eligible it is considered to have good overall marks.
• As some institutes might conduct group discussion rounds or personal interviews make sure you are goal oriented, confident and good at communication. Also, wear formal clothes at the time of personal interview or group discussion round.
• Be aware of all the application dates and entrance examination dates.
• Stay up to date to the current affairs and daily news as they hold an important place in personal interview rounds.

Some of the Top colleges which offer Ph.D. in Human Genetics are mentioned below in the table.

PhD Human genetics : College Comparison

The tabulation below depicts the college comparison between the two top Ph.D. in Human Genetics colleges.

The subjects that are taught in Ph.D. in Human Genetics are mentioned below.

PhD Human genetics: Books

Some of the best books that can be referred to while pursuing Ph.D. in Human Genetics are mentioned below in the table.

• There are ample of options available for Ph.D. in Human Genetics doctorates. They can find employment in various areas like Educational Institutions, Clinical Labs, Healthcare Centers, Human Genome Projects, Life Sciences Research Centers etc.
• A doctorate can look out in various profiles such as Genetics Counselors, Professors/Lecturer, Association Genetics scientists, Medical Genetics Technologist, Molecular Genetics Technologist, Client Relationships Manager, Human Genetics Scientist and many more.

Some of the most common job profiles that an Ph.D. in Human Genetics Doctorate can opt for along with the job description and salary package are mentioned below.

PhD Human Genetics: Scope for Further studies

The Ph.D. in Human Genetics doctorates can prefer to do jobs on the completion of Ph.D. in Human Genetics. A doctorate can easily earn an average salary of INR 4,00,000 to INR 12,00,000 based on his skills, experience and expertise. Various government and private sectors require a doctorate in Human Genetics, so there are a number of opportunities a doctorate can find.

No doubts, future scopes in this program are quite bright. Candidates are easily able to find various job positions such as Genetics scientists, Genetics Counselors, Professors/Lecturers, Research Assistants, Medical Technologists Genetics, Service coordinator and many more.

Ques. What is the course duration of Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: The course duration of Ph.D. in Human Genetics is from 4 to 6 years.

Ques. What is the Average fee charged for Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: The average fee charged for this program ranges from INR 10,000 to INR 2,00,000.

Ques. Is it worthwhile pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: Yes, Ph.D. in Human Genetics offers a wide in depth knowledge of Human genes and heredity with a handsome salary package.

Ques: What average salary package can be earned after Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: Average salary package after the completion of Ph.D. program ranges from INR 7,00,000 to 12,00,000.

Ques: Which book can I refer to while pursuing Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: Books such as Gene Cloning & DNA Analysis, Human Molecular Genetics, Management of Genetic Syndrome, New patterns in Genetics & Development are quite useful.

Ques: What is the Admission Process for admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics ?

Ans: Admission procedure to this program is generally entrance examination based.

Ques: Is there any entrance examination for admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: Yes, entrance exams like DBT JRF, TIFR-GS and CSIR NET are held to provide admissions.

Ques: What is the eligibility criteria required for admission into Ph.D. in Human Genetics?

Ans: Candidates must have passed his/her Master's degree in any relevant discipline with a minimum of 55% marks.

Ph.D. (Chemistry)

Ph.d. (physics), ph.d. (mathematics), ph.d. (biotechnology), ph.d. (zoology), ph.d. (human genetics) colleges in india.

Banaras Hindu University - [BHU]

Panjab University - [PU]

Andhra University, College of Science & Technology

Gujarat University - [GU]

University VOC College of Engineering, Anna University - [UVOCCET]

Central University of Punjab - [CUP]

Guru Nanak Dev University - [GNDU]

Indian Statistical Institute - [ISI]

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