harvard biology phd

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Our Science    

We research and teach how the collective behavior of molecules and cells forms the basis of life. We are driven by a passion for discovery and value collaborative approaches to scientific inquiry, where connections between people fuel interdisciplinary science and break boundaries across varied experimental systems. Against a backdrop of cutting-edge biological research, we work as a team of educators and mentors to inspire and train the next generation of scientists and global citizens.    

  Our Community    

At the core of the MCB department is a commitment to foster an environment in which all individuals have the opportunity to thrive. It is our shared responsibility to create an inclusive culture, where we support and respect each other as colleagues. We embrace a diverse range of perspectives, expertise, identities, experiences, talents, and abilities. By continually strengthening this foundation of investing in the well-being of our people, we enable our community’s growth and pursuit of the creative and innovative approaches that underlie scientific excellence.    

Our Guiding Principles

We hold ourselves and the community accountable to the following set of values:    

Respect   We foster a safe and supportive environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and is able to work towards their aspirations .    

Engagement We encourage difficult conversations about racial, gender, structural and other inequities in our labs, institutions, and society .   We listen actively and openly and seek to continually learn from one another during these respectful and open dialogues .  

Action   We take active steps to diversify our community demographics , promote equit able practices , and eliminate systemic racism and other inequities in our departmental structures .    

Support   We prioritize the well-being of our community members and create avenues of support for all , with a particular focus on the needs of B lack people , I ndigenous people , people of color , first generation students, people from underprivileged backgrounds , and other community members underrepresented in the scientific community .   We prioritize diversity, inclusion, and belonging work, advocat e for it at all levels and actively includ e it in all departmental discussions.   

Integrity  

We carry out our work responsibly and ethically, recognizing that our own choices are reflection s of both ourselves and our community. As a department, we are committed to building institutional accountability and transparency in our decision-making processes.    

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Our research

Latest News

• April 16, 2024

2024 MCB Mentorship Award Winners Announced

Three individuals were named the winners of the 2024 MCB Mentorship Award, which was announced at the MCB Community Forum on Friday, April 12. The award recognizes individuals […]

• April 15, 2024

Annual Prather Lecture Series Scheduled for May 1-3

Every year, MCB and OEB take turns hosting the annual John M Prather Lectures in Biology, a series of three talks inspired by a bequest to Harvard by […]

• April 14, 2024

How many distinct RNA structures are there? How should machine learning use them to make accurate predictions?

Many functional RNAs such as tRNAs or rRNA adopt 3D structures that are specific to their distinct functions and conserved across species. As with proteins, the determination of […]

• April 12, 2024

New Fellowship Program with Center for Brain Science

The NTT Research Foundation announced the new Harvard University Center for Brain Science-NTT Fellowship Program in the field of Physics of Intelligence. The Fellowship will bolster studies bridging […]

Upcoming Events

Mcb thursday seminar: tracy l. johnson, ph.d..

• 12pm - Thursday Apr 18, 2024
• Northwest Building (Room NW B103), 52 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Dissertation Defense: Dvir Reif

• 3pm - Friday Apr 19, 2024
• Yenching Auditorium, 2 Divinity Ave
• Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Harvard University 38 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA 02138
• (617) 495-2300
• (617) 495-9956

As part of Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the  PhD Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) , established in 1993, trains students in individual fields of biological research with a focus on understanding, preventing and treating diseases affecting large populations. Students in the BPH program obtain a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of both mechanistic and quantitative approaches to biomedical research.

Major Areas of Investigation include:

• The Metabolic Basis of Health and Disease
• Immunology and Infectious Diseases
• Gene-Environment Interactions
• Inflammation and Stress Responses

All of these areas are studied with an emphasis on biochemical, cell biological and genetic approaches to delineating disease mechanisms.  Our research, whether basic or translational, is relevant to human health. Students apply cutting-edge research technologies toward the improved understanding, treatment and prevention of  human diseases with the greatest current impact on global populations . Our program embraces the idea that progress in a given disease area is optimally promoted by a close interaction between scientists from diverse disciplines, including genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, and systems biology.  Core quantitative disciplines like biostatistics and epidemiology are also fundamental to analyzing large datasets, such as those generated from “omics” approaches, and for assessing the broad impact of health problems, allowing us to look beyond individuals to entire populations.  With our roots in biology, we are able to confront the most pressing diseases of our time, gaining insights into their underlying mechanisms and uncovering novel therapeutic opportunities.

Current research within BPH laboratories includes, but is not restricted to, the following diseases or disease risk factors (see our Health and Diseases page for more information):

• ATHEROSCLEROSIS
• CHAGAS’ DISEASE
• ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO TOXINS
• INFLAMMATORY DISEASES
• KIDNEY DISEASE
• METABOLIC SYNDROME
• TUBERCULOSIS

The BPH program is rooted in the rich and diverse environment of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, dedicated to advancing the public’s health through learning, discovery, and communication. The field of public health is inherently multi-disciplinary and so, too, are the interests and expertise of the School’s faculty and students, which extend across the biological, quantitative, and social sciences. From advancing scientific research to training national and international leaders, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has been at the forefront of efforts to benefit the health of populations worldwide. Shaping new ideas in our field and communicating them effectively will continue to be priorities of the BPH Program in the years ahead as we serve society’s changing health needs.

News from the School

Bethany Kotlar, PhD '24, studies how children fare when they're born to incarcerated mothers

Soccer, truffles, and exclamation points: Dean Baccarelli shares his story

Health care transformation in Africa highlighted at conference

COVID, four years in

Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology​

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Harvard was one of the first institutions to offer a program to explore this exciting new field. The program’s core curriculum includes courses on the methods and logic that shape research, how to conceptualize and present research, and an introduction to the faculty’s research.

The program has 48 faculty located in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mass General, and Boston Children’s Hospital. SSQB is one of 14 PhD programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences program that collectively gives you access to over 900 faculty research groups situated in the heart of Boston’s biotech hub. Our students are working on projects that range from fundamental problems in biology to translational research, whose goal is to directly affect medicine and global sustainability.

Graduates of the program have gone on to faculty positions at prestigious institutions such as MIT and Princeton University, while others are now industry leaders as startup founders or as decision-makers at companies including Boston Consulting Group, Yumanity Therapeutics, McKinsey & Company, and Regeneron.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology PhD Program , and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology PhD Program .

Academic Background

Applicants typically have a background in biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, or mathematics and work to forge a new approach to biology that combines theoretical and experimental approaches. The typical student has a strong background in one of the disciplines relevant to systems biology and an interest in interdisciplinary research.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional 

Contacting Faculty

Applicants should indicate their faculty of interest in the application. You are not required to contact any faculty in advance but are welcome to.

Applications are reviewed by the admissions committee during December and early January. Selected applicants are notified if they have been chosen for an on-campus interview. These visits provide students with the opportunity to meet with faculty and current students and to get a better feel for our community and the types of research conducted here. Applicants invited for an interview who reside overseas and cannot visit the Harvard campus may interview remotely.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology​

See list of Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology​ faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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Peabody Museum, 5th Floor 11 Divinity Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Ph: (617) 496-1193 F: (617) 496-8041

About the HEB PhD

A message from the director of graduate studies.

Alongside our core questions related to what makes humans unique, many members of our department are also interested in why and how our unique evolutionary history matters for practical and policy issues. Key questions revolve around health, exercise, immunity, innovation, and the construction of more effective institutions.

As a highly interdisciplinary enterprise focused on building a holistic picture of our species, we embrace and encourage diversity in all its forms and cultivate a free exchange of ideas. In our research, we integrate insights on contemporary biology, physiology, genetics, anatomy and behavior from around the globe and well back into our evolutionary past. In building our community of scientists, including our students, we actively seek to expand our diversity, seeking people from different backgrounds, countries, cultures, experience, and training. Together, such diversity builds what Professor Joe Henrich has called the Collective Brain, which drives more rapid innovation and deeper insight. It is at the heart of our approach to understand the human condition and all of its complex variation. If you come from an underrepresented background and are interested in HEB, we strongly encourage you to you contact us and consider applying!

HEB is proud to continue a century-long tradition of training the future leaders in understanding humans from an evolutionary perspective. Our graduate students receive generous funding for their entire degree program and get hands-on training in teaching and both laboratory and field-based research. In addition to the extraordinary resources within the department, HEB graduate students also benefit from the unparalleled resources of Harvard University, including strong collaborations with departments such as Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Economics and Psychology as well as the Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School, Kennedy School and the Peabody Museum.

-  Terence D. Capellini, Director of Graduate Students, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology

About the HEB Doctoral Degree

The objective of the PhD program in Human Evolutionary Biology is to provide students with comprehensive training necessary to address the question “How did evolution make humans the way they are?” Our interdisciplinary approach thus includes field and laboratory programs in many sub-disciplines including:

• Reproductive endocrinology
• Human behavioral biology and ecology
• Ape behavioral ecology and biology
• Human and primate paleobiology
• Experimental biomechanics
• Human physiology
• Genetics and genomics of humans and primates
• Developmental biology
• Human and non-human primate cognition

HEB welcomes PhD candidates from diverse backgrounds, including undergraduate degrees in biology or anthropology. HEB’s PhD program is typically six years. The first two years are a combination of classwork and research. Ordinarily, students define a PhD topic in the third year, and then finish by the sixth year.

All HEB students receive five years of full funding, including tuition and stipend plus substantial departmental support for research. Training to teach is also an important component of the PhD.

• Program Alumni
• Applying to HEB
• Degree Requirements
• Funding Your Degree
• Graduate Student Forms & Other Key Information
• Graduate Student Handbook

Current Graduate Students

Emmanuel Aoron

Sophie Barton

Roslyn Curry

Cameron Curtin

Thomas Flint

Lily Fornof

Shanen Ganapathee

Alex Harris

Javier Maravall López

Megan Michel

Jenny Michlich

Aidan Murphy

Alexander Okamoto

Eleanor pereboom.

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The Harvard Biophysics Graduate Program

Phd research at the interface of quantitative science and biology.

HMS Campus, 240 Longwood Avenue, Seeley G. Mudd Bldg., Room 204c Boston, MA 02115

Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., PhD. 1969 Graduate of the Harvard Biophysics Program, featured in the New York Times for his work on harnessing the immune system to fight cancer.

After a long, intense pursuit, researchers are close to bringing to market a daring new treatment: cell therapy that turbocharges the immune system to fight cancer. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/health/cancer-cell-therapy-immune-sys...

Undergraduate

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree is designed for industry professionals with years of work experience who wish to complete their degrees part time, both on campus and online, without disruption to their employment. Our typical student is over 30, has previously completed one or two years of college, and works full time.

Students enrolled in the Master of Liberal Arts program in Biology will learn how to apply critical thinking to real-world scenarios in the life sciences while exploring cutting-edge research and theory. Students gain deeper insight into a range of biological fields, such as molecular biology, genetics, genomics, cell biology, neurobiology and behavior, and ecology.