Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Program Overview
Biochemistry and Cell Biology MS Program Description
The Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology offers a graduate program for the Master of Science degree. This ~1.5 year MS program is designed to prepare students for careers in research, teaching, biotechnology, or further advanced studies in health and life sciences. Our pool of faculty represents diverse research interests spanning biochemistry, genetics, cell, molecular, and structural biology.
To document our success, here are some numbers. In the twelve years since its inception, we’ve admitted 129 students (about 10-12 per year). 95% of those students graduated (122 out of the 129 who were admitted). Of these 122 graduates, 84% have continued in health science related careers. 43 students entered Ph.D. programs; 15 were admitted to medical, dental or veterinarian schools; the remainder obtained positions as Research technicians. Our graduates have gone on to Ph.D. programs at top-notch research institutes or medical schools, including NYU, Thomas Jefferson University, Albert Einstein, Cornell, Mt. Sinai, Rockefeller, Case Western, Stony Brook, Rutgers, Purdue, Imperial College (UK), Cold Spring Harbor, Scripps, Univ. Utah, Univ. Indiana, UC Santa Cruz. The private sector has also benefited from our graduates, who have obtained positions at Regeneron, Pfizer, Sloan Kettering, Pillar Biosciences, and Nanoprobes to name a few. One student is a regulatory lawyer for the FDA in Washington, DC.
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program
Chairperson
Wali Karzai, Life Sciences Building 332 (631) 632-1688BCB MS Graduate Program Director
Neta Dean, Life Sciences Building 310, (631) 632-9309Program Administrator
Pamela Wolfskill, Life Sciences Building 450, (631) 632-8558Degree awarded
Master of Science (MS) in Biochemistry and Cell BiologyWebsite
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/biochem/education/graduate/biochemistry-and-cell-biology-msApplication
The Graduate School ( www.grad.sunysb.edu) requires on-line application submission (https://grad.stonybrook.edu/admissions/index.php) including letters of recommendation. At the Graduate School website you will find an Admissions link to the on-line Application form. - Admissions
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program Admissions
Application Deadline: April 15May 1, 2025
Applications are considered from September until April 15May 1 every year for admission in the Fall. Applicants do not need to send their official transcripts until they are offered admission into the program.
In addition to the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, the following are suggested requirements:
• BS or BA degree in a life science related field, with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00. Pre-requisites include mathematics through one year of calculus, chemistry (including organic chemistry and laboratory), general physics, and one year of biology (including laboratory). It is highly recommended that students will have taken two semesters of biochemistry, and one semester each of genetics, cell biology, physical chemistry, and English composition. Students accepted into the program without a pre-requisite may be asked to take the appropriate upper level undergraduate course prior to undertaking specific graduate level courses.
• Personal Statement: What would you consider your special qualifications to be? What do you propose to do with your advanced degree professionally? Discuss briefly your experience in biochemistry and cell biology outside the classroom.
• Three letters of recommendation from people who can evaluate the applicant's potential for graduate work and independent research.
• International Students: A proficiency in the English language is required. If your native or primary language is not English, you must take an English proficiency test. To be considered for admission, an applicant must present an acceptable score on the TOEFL or IELTS test. IELTS: Overall score of 6.5 with no subsection below 6. TOEFL: Paper-based test: 550; computer based test: 213; or Internet-based test: 90. Under special circumstances, lower scores may be considered.
- Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements for Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program
Research-based thesis option (30 credits). The research-based thesis option requires 30 credits comprised of 24 credits in core courses and 6 elective credits. Thesis research can be conducted in the laboratory of Biochemistry and Cell Biology faculty, in the research laboratories of faculty from other Departments at Stony Brook, and at Brookhaven National Laboratory, or through research internships under the guidance of approved mentors at local biotechnology firms. This option requires completion of a written, research-based project.
Literature-based thesis option (30 credits). The literature-based thesis option requires 30 credits comprised of 24 credits in core courses and 6 elective credits. This option requires completion of a written, literature-based project.
Core Course Requirements (24 credits)
MCB 503 Molecular Genetics (Fall, 3 credits)
MCB 520 Graduate Biochemistry I (Fall, 3 credits)
MCB 656 Cell Biology (Spring, 4 credits)
BCB 551 Introduction to Research in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Integrity in Science (Fall, 2 credits)
BCB 552 Advanced Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Fall, 3 credits)
BCB 559 MS Research Practicum in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer, 4 credits.) Note that one semester of BCB 559 is required for the MS but this course, in which students earn credit for their performing resarch in a laborator research, can be repeated for additional 0-4 elective credits/ semester)
BCB 599 MS Thesis in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer, 3 credits)
MCB 601 Colloquium in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Fall, 1 credit)
MCB 602 Colloquium in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Spring, 1 credit)
- Facilities
FACILITIES
The Biological Sciences Division and Health Sciences Center are well equipped for work in biochemistry and cellular biology. Individual faculty laboratories and central services provide a full array of state-of-the-art equipment. These include facilities that perform flow cytometry, mass spectrometry, DNA synthesis and analyses, transgenic mice, microscopy and imaging. The Health Sciences Library contains a comprehensive collection of biomedical journals and books and is complemented by the Melville Library on the main campus.
- Faculty
FACULTY OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY MASTERS OF SCIENCE PROGRAM
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Michael Airola – Structural biology of lipid modifying enzymes
Ivet Bahar,- Bridging Structure and Function, via DynamicsPaul M. Bingham - Genetic control of development and gene expression in animals
Vitaly Citovsky - Nuclear targeting and intercellular communication in plants
Neta Dean - Glycosylation; fungal pathogenesis
Peter Gergen - Gene expression and development in Drosophila
Steven Glynn - Structure and mechanism of protein-unfolding machines in mitochondria
Kathryn Gunn- Spatiotemporal regulation of metabolic enzymes
Bernadette C. Holdener - Genetic regulation of early mammalian development
Nancy Hollingsworth - Meiotic synapsis, recombination, and segregation in yeast
Chi-Kuo Hu -Biology of dormancy during development and aging, with the African killifish as the main research organismJonathan Nelson - Repetitive DNA Maintenance in germ cell immortality
Wali Karzai - Structure and function of RNA-binding proteins and biochemical studies of the SmpB•tmRNA quality control systemBenjamin Lin - Cell dynamics and motility.
Erwin London - Membrane protein structure/translocation/folding
Ed Luk - Chromosome biology and genome regulation
Benjamin Martin - Stem cell maintenance and differentiation, Developmental mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis
David Q. Matus - Evolutionary, cell and developmental biological approaches to studying nematode uterine-vulval attachment and morphogenesis
Aaron Neiman - Vesicle trafficking and membrane/cytoskeletal interactionsDada Pisconti - Muscle stem cells; muscle development, regeneration and aging; muscular dystrophy; extracellular matrix; biology of proteoglycans
Stuti Sharma- Structural Biology and membrane biology
Gerald H. Thomsen - Growth factors /signal transduction in early vertebrate development
Department of Anesthesiology
Martin Kaczocha - Role of fatty acid binding proteins in pain, inflammation, and related pathophysiologies: Endocannabinoid pharmacology and development of novel therapeutics.Department of Chemistry
Elizabeth Boon - Nitric oxide regulation of quorum sensing and biofilm formation in bacteria
Isaac Carrico
David Green- Affiliated Assistant Professor. Computational biology of protein interactions.
Peter Tonge - Spectroscopic insights into enzyme mechanisms and structure
Scott Laughlin -. Chemical neuroscience. Design and application of optical probes for imaging neural circuitry.
Department of Medicine
Yusuf Hannun - Bioactive lipids in cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics
Richard Lin - Kinase signaling and cell proliferation
Cungui Mao - Bioactive sphingolipids in cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and autophagy
William Van Nostrand - Vascular functions of Alzheimer's disease amyloid beta-protein
Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
Nicolas Carpino - Positive and Negative Regulation of T cell Receptor Signaling
Bruce Futcher - Cell cycle, cyclins, and yeast genetics
Patrick Hearing - Adenovirus regulation of cellular proliferation and gene expression; adenovirus vectors for human gene therapy
James Konopka - Signal transduction, morphogenesis and genetics of pathogenic fungi
Erich R. Mackow - Viral Pathogenesis, Regulation of Innate Immunity, Hantavirus, Dengue Virus and Rotavirus Regulation of Cell Signaling Responses, miRNAs and Endothelial cell functions.
Nancy Reich - Cytokine and Innate Immune Responses
Brian Sheridan - Mucosal Immunology, T cell memory, Vaccine design, Host-pathogen interactions
David Thanassi - Secretion of virulence factors by bacterial pathogens; pilus biogenesis by uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Adrianus. W.M. van der Velden - Infectious Diseases Immunology; Host Interactions with Bacterial Pathogens; Bacterial Immune Subversion
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
Maurice Kernan - Molecular basis of mechanical senses
Howard Sirotkin - Genetic and molecular analysis of early vertebrate development
Lonnie Wollmuth - Molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology
Department of Pathology
Jiang Chen - Skin and hair follicle development, maintenance and malignancy
Jingfang Ju - Post-transcriptional control of non-coding RNAs and RNA binding proteins in cancer
Richard R. Kew - Leukocyte chemotaxis/inflammation
Yupo Ma - Stem cell reprogramming and therapy, genome engineering, blood and marrow transplantation
Kenneth Shroyer - Cancer biomarkers as diagnostic adjuncts in cervical pathology and cytopathology; cervical cancer and HPV
Department of Pharmacological Sciences
Adan Aguirre - Stem cell biology in the central nervous system and neurobiology in health and disease
Christopher Brownlee -(Aging, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Chemical Biology, Lipid Biology, Mitochondrial Biology, Neuropharmacology, Signaling, Stem Cells)
Molecular mechanisms of spindle orientation, ciologenesis, polarity, cytokinesis and axonogenesis.
Holly Colognato - Extracellular matrix in the brain; roles during development and during neurodegeneration.
Michael A. Frohman - Lipid signaling pathways in immune responses, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Miguel Garcia-Diaz - Genetic Toxicology/Mechanisms of mitochondrial gene expression
Chioma Okeoma (Cancer, Infectious Diseases) Mechanisms of virus-host and tumor-host interactions
Jessica C. Seeliger - We are applying biochemical, microbiological and biophysical methods to fundamental questions in bacterial membrane biogenesis as they relate to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, and to bacterial pathogenesis in general.
Markus Seeliger - Mechanism of Protein kinases and Ubiquitin Ligases in Cancer and Aging
Ken-Ichi Takemaru - Wnt Signaling in Development and Disease
Dongyan Tan (Cancer, DNA Damage Repair) Structure and function of macromolecules in epigenetic regulation
Styliani-Anna Tsirka - Neuronal-microglial interactions in the central nervous system
Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Mark Bowen - Single molecule spectroscopy; Coordination of post-synaptic glutamate receptor signaling by the MAGUK family of scaffolds
Todd Miller - Tyrosine phosphorylation and signal transduction
Thomas White - Molecular biology and physiology of gap junction channels
- Contact
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program
Chairperson
Wali Karzai, Life Sciences Building 332 (631) 632-1688BCB MS Graduate Program Director
Neta Dean, Life Sciences Building 310, (631) 632-9309Program Administrator
Pamela Wolfskill, Life Sciences Building 450, (631) 632-8558Degree awarded
Master of Science (MS) in Biochemistry and Cell BiologyWebsite
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/biochem/education/graduate/biochemistry-and-cell-biology-msApplication
The Graduate School ( www.grad.sunysb.edu) requires on-line application submission (https://grad.stonybrook.edu/admissions/index.php) including letters of recommendation. At the Graduate School website you will find an Admissions link to the on-line Application form.