Biology

Programs offered: M.S. (thesis-based), M.S. (course-based), Ph.D.
http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/graduate
617-627-3195

The thesis-based Master of Science (M.S.) in biology is for students interested in careers in research, teaching, or industry. The program is also ideal for professionals seeking additional training in the biological sciences for work at biotechnology companies, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations. Graduates also continue their studies in doctoral programs.

The M.S. program trains students to think creatively and critically about a range of biological subjects. Upon entering the program, each student is assigned an advisory committee, which works with the student to plan a program based on experience and interests. The result is an individually tailored graduate course of study.

Four of the program's eight course credits may be taken for research credit. Courses cover areas such as developmental biology, endocrinology, evolutionary ecology, immunology, molecular and cell biology, and plant physiology.

After completing short research projects, students choose the area that will be the subject of their thesis. Each thesis is expected to make a substantial original contribution to the student's specialty and meet the standards of quality exemplified by current biological research journals. Recent thesis titles have included, Effect of NO on Nerves and Muscles Involved in Gustation in the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta; The Effect of Chromatin Structure on CAG/CTG Repeat Maintenance; and Evaluating the Effects of Urbanization on Amphibians and Butterflies at Multiple Spatial Scales.

Career preparation is a key feature of the program. Students participate in departmental seminars and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of journal and data clubs, graduate student-sponsored activities, career development events, and writing workshops. In addition, students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, aid in the submission of fellowships/grants (internal/external sources), and participate in community outreach programs. The department also offers a joint M.S. degree program with the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.

The course-based Master of Science (M.S.) in biology is for students interested in careers in research, teaching, or industry. The program is also ideal for professionals seeking additional training in the biological sciences for work at biotechnology companies, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations.

The program is focused on training students to think creatively and critically about a range of biological subjects. Students earn eight course credits and follow original, integrative, and interdisciplinary paths of coursework, reflecting the direction of modern biology.

The course-based program enables students to take courses and interact with faculty and fellow students involved in areas such as animal behavior, neurobiology, cell physiology, developmental biology, genetics, ecology, conservation, endocrinology, evolution, bioinformatics, immunology, molecular and cell biology, and plant physiology.

Students are encouraged to participate in journal clubs, departmental seminars, graduate student-sponsored events, career development events, and writing workshops.

The course-based program can be completed either full- or part-time.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in biology provides students with diverse academic and research experiences in preparation for careers in research, teaching, or consulting. The program is also ideal for professionals seeking additional training in the biological sciences for work at biotechnology companies, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations.

The Ph.D. program prepares students to be independent, creative research scientists. This is accomplished through research training, courses, seminars, and the teaching and mentoring of Tufts undergraduates - a requirement most Ph.D. students fulfill as teaching assistants.

Upon entering the program, each student is assigned a faculty advisory committee that works with the student to plan a program based on experience and interests. The result is an individually tailored graduate course of study.

The program offers courses and research opportunities in areas such as animal behavior, neurobiology, cell physiology, developmental biology, genetics, ecology, conservation, endocrinology, evolution, bioinformatics, immunology, molecular and cell biology, and plant physiology.

After completing short research projects, students choose the area that will be the subject of their dissertation. Each dissertation is expected to make a substantial original contribution to the student's specialty and meet the standards of quality exemplified by current biological research journals. Recent titles have included, Notch Signaling Mediates Cell Fate Decisions During Gastrulation in Xenopus laevis; Metabolic Engineering of Adipocyte Lipid and Energy Balance; and Double Strand Break Repair Pathways Modulate CAG Repeat Instability and Cytotoxicity.

The department is also a contributing member of the IGERT soft material robotics program. This program, funded by the National Science Foundation, supports Ph.D. students working on projects that combine expertise in more than one department. This support is awarded on a competitive basis. If you wish to be considered for this program you must select the IGERT Soft Material Robotics option when you apply. Additional information on these fellowship awards and soft material robotics at Tufts is available by visiting the IGERT Soft Material Robotics website.

Career preparation is a key feature of the program. Students participate in departmental seminars and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of journal and data clubs, graduate student-sponsored activities, career development events, and writing workshops. In addition, students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, aid in the submission of fellowships/grants (internal/external sources), and participate in community outreach programs.

Biology: Faculty

Dany S. Adams
Ph.D., University of Washington
The role of ion flux during morphogenesis of vertebrate embryos

Joanne Berger-Sweeney
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Neurobiology

Harry Bernheim
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Human physiology and immunology

Frances Sze-Ling Chew
Ph.D., Yale University
Ecology, plant-herbivorous insect interactions

David E. Cochrane
Ph.D., University of Vermont
Cellular physiology of the mast cell

Erik B. Dopman
Ph.D., Cornell University
Evolution and genetics of natural populations

George S. Ellmore
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Experimental plant anatomy/morphology

Susan G. Ernst
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst
Developmental biology, sea urchin gastrulation model

Catherine H. Freudenreich
Ph.D., Duke University
DNA mutation and chromosome fragility in yeast

Stephen M. Fuchs (starting date: January 2012)
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison
Chemical biology, molecular biology

Juliet A. Fuhrman
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Immunology and infectious disease, life cycle of parasitic roundworms

Michelle Gaudette
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Molecular biology, gene regulation of development

Susan Koegel
Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco
Cell biology and immunology

Sara M. Lewis
Ph.D., Duke University
Evolutionary and behavioral ecology, reproductive ecology, tropical coral reef communities

Michael Levin
Ph.D., Harvard University
Morphological and behavioral information processing in living systems

Kelly McLaughlin
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst
Molecular development (organogenesis), focus on the kidney

Mitch McVey
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Genomic instability and aging

Sergei Mirkin
Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences
DNA structure and function

Colin M. Orians
Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
Ecology, impact of environmental and genetic variability on plants

Jan A. Pechenik
Ph.D., University of Rhode Island
Invertebrate zoology and marine biology, focus on evolution of reproductive patterns

J. Michael Reed
Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Conservation biology, focus on birds, amphibians, moss

L. Michael Romero
Ph.D., Stanford University
Physiology and neuroendocrinology of the vertebrate stress response

Philip Starks
Ph.D., Cornell University
Behavioral ecology; social behavior of insects, especially honey bees and paper wasps

Barry A. Trimmer
Ph.D., Cambridge University
Cellular and molecular processes underlying behavior

Eric D. Tytell
Ph.D., Harvard University
Biomechanics and neural control of locomotion

William Woods
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston
Ecological physiology, biomechanics, energetic and temperature relations