Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology

The Department of Biology is composed of over 50 faculty actively engaged in research that spans the entire scope of modern biology, from the disciplines of cell, molecular, and developmental biology through the areas of ecology, physiology and behavior. The department as a whole forms a very interactive group, which fosters an environment emphasizing collaboration and resource sharing.

There are many formal and informal research ties among the diverse groups within the Department. A few examples within MCDB provide a glimpse of the range of relationships. The Bloom and Salmon labs share the sixth floor of Fordham Hall, and share an interest in mitosis and the mechanisms of chromosome segregation. They approach this problem from different directions, with the Bloom lab using the power of yeast genetics and the Salmon lab using innovative microscopy techniques to study vertebrate cells. This has lead to a very fruitful collaboration that has resulted in numerous publications, and has led to a situation where open doors join the two labs into a single unit. The Goldstein and Peifer labs share an interest in cell polarity, though they focus on different organisms and focused on different molecules. The Dangl and A. Jones labs share an interest in signal transduction events that underlie different aspects of plant physiology. Their different areas of expertise led to a collaboration to identify the molecule which induces an important event during bacterial pathogenesis. The Copenhaver, C. Jones, and Sekelsky labs are interested in meiotic gene conversion, and have a collaborative grant to study this process in Arabidopsis and Drosophila, through laboratory experiments and population genetic analyses. Many more informal ties also join different labs, including joint Drosophila meetings between the Duronio, C. Jones, Searles, Crews, Peifer, and Sekelsky groups, and joint C. elegans meetings between members of the Goldstein, Ahmed, and Lieb labs.

A CLOSE-KNIT UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

The cells shown in the figure are of two types: one are mesophyll cells containing chloroplasts that fluoresce red under IV light and the other are specialized vascular cells that have cell walls that fluoresce yellow under UV light. After hormone induction, the mesophyll cells will transdifferentiate synchronously into the vascular cells (from Groover and Jones, 1999).

The Department of Biology is embedded in a very strong university-wide research community. Our Department provides a bridge connecting the biological research conducted in basic science departments such as chemistry, physics, and computer science to the biomedical research community in the School of Medicine. There are numerous departments in the Medical school staffed by research scientists interested in the full array of scientific disciplines from biochemistry to cell biology to physiology. Because the medical school and the undergraduate campuses are directly adjacent, all of these scientists are located within a short walk of one another and of the biology department.

Formal ties between Biology and the School of Medicine include joint participation into three interdepartmental graduate training programs (the Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, the IBMS Program, and the Curriculum in Neurobiology) and in the joint post-doctoral training program of the Lineberger Cancer Center. These bring scientists from different departments together at scientific retreats and on student’s thesis committees. There are also numerous links based on scientific interests. These have led to collaborative efforts such as those between the Salmon lab and Keith Burridge in Cell and Developmental Biology, Bob Duronio and Yue Xiong in Biochemistry, and joint lab meetings between the Lieb Lab and Brian Strahl in Biochemistry. They also have resulted in the formation of local interest groups with participants in both Biology and in other Departments, such as those in cancer genetics, the cytoskeleton, Drosophila molecular genetics, yeast chromatin, and cardiovascular biology–these groups meet on a regular basis to discuss their research. Furthermore, the Department of Biology is part of a campus-wide Program in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences.

AN UNEQUALED SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY IN THE TRIANGLE

Our geographical location near the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina places us in one of the countries leading areas for cutting-edge research in biotechnology. Three major research Universities anchor the three points of the triangle: UNC-CH in Chapel Hill, Duke University in Durham and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. All are within an easy drive or bus ride, with Duke 12 miles and N.C. State 30 miles away. Thus UNC and Duke are no more distant than the medical school and main campus often are at other universities. The result is extensive interchange between the two campuses for seminars and joint lab meetings between groups sharing similar interests. The academic scientists are joined by a large number of corporate and government scientists in the more than 150 companies in Research Triangle Park (RTP), which is situated between the three campuses. RTP includes large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including the U.S. headquarters of GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer Health Care’s Biological Products Division, and Syngenta. The RTP also houses the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (one of the NIH institutes), as well as one of the main scientific units of the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, numerous start-up biotechnology companies like Paradigm Genetics and Trimeris add to the scientific community.

The academic, corporate and government scientists are active participants in many local interest groups, including the Triangle Arabidopsis Group, the “Triangle Smaller Eukaryotes (i.e. yeast) Meeting”, both of which meet at the centrally located North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and a monthly C. elegans supergroup meeting here at UNC. Together, these resources make the Triangle an outstanding place to be a scientist.

Regardless of whether your future leads you into academia, industry, or some other career option, as a graduate student you have two tasks: 1) to learn how to be a scientist, and 2) to obtain a broad training in many different areas of science. The Department of Biology at UNC provides a superb environment to carry out both of these tasks. The road to becoming a scientist involves learning to plan, carry out and interpret experiments. One of the best ways to obtain this sort of training is in work on a model biological system such as those studied in our department. The strengths of these model systems are the many tools available to attack a problem, allowing students to work at the cutting edge of biology. The boundaries formerly separated different disciplines have disappeared; one can no longer be simply a geneticist or just a cell biologist. Rather, one must attack a problem with all of the tools at hand. A student who carries out thesis work studying a fundamental biological problem in one of our labs will be exposed to a wide array of technological approaches.

All of our labs offer the opportunity to use genetics as one approach– genetics allows the researcher to ask the organism what molecules are important for a given biological process, without built-in biases on the part of the investigator. Our labs also offer the opportunity to attack problems with the tools of modern cell biology, using cutting-edge imaging equipment alongside colleagues who are pushing the limits in these areas. They also offer the opportunity to get your feet wet in biochemistry, asking about the function of and the interactions between molecules required for the process you are studying. Many of our laboratories have begun using the most recent genomics approaches also. Our students have an opportunity to carry out experiments in each of these areas, achieving the broad training they need to become independent scientists. This broad training is illustrated by the publication records of our recent students and the postdoctoral opportunities of which they have been able to take advantage.

In addition to lab work, our Department offers a number of other training opportunities. Students in our Department will spend the first year taking a set of courses tailored to their own interests and needs. They attend our weekly Department seminars, and also have an opportunity to attend the seminars in other Departments, Curricula, and programs on our campus and in the broader Research Triangle area. Our students are trained to present their work in yearly seminars for their fellow graduate students, and in yearly meetings with their thesis advisory committees. They also have the opportunity to present their work at National and International scientific meetings in their area of study.

The following are the Ph.D. degree requirements for students in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology graduate program in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additional requirements are in the Graduate School Handbook and the Guide to Theses and Dissertations. If requirements change after you arrive, you may choose to follow the rules in effect when you arrived, or any subsequent set of rules in effect during your tenure at UNC.

It is your responsibility to stay in touch with your major adviser and graduate dissertation committee. Likewise, you are ultimately responsible for seeing that you comply with the regulations of the Department of Biology and the UNC Graduate School. Failure to comply may result in losing your financial support or in being dismissed from the program. You also need to keep the Graduate Student Services Manager and the Director of Graduate Students informed of committee meetings and qualifying exams as soon as they are scheduled with your committee.

As a student in the Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology program at UNC, you will receive a competitive stipend through a research assistantship funded by your PIs grants or through a teaching assistantship if your PI does not have sufficient grant funding. Typically, these sources of support are provided throughout your graduate career as long as you remain in good academic standing. Finances of individual labs may vary, so it is important that funding packages are discussed in detail during the recruitment process between the prospective advisor and student, and that realistic expectations of funding are shared. 
The Graduate Funding Information Center (https://gradfunding.web.unc.edu) is a great resource that can assist current and prospective graduate students find appropriate funding opportunities. Through some of the funding databases, you can set up alerts to notify you when new opportunities are available based on information you provide.

PAYROLL AND BENEFITS INFORMATION

Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants are paid monthly for the academic year, usually beginning at the end of August and continuing through mid-May. Those who will be supported as Research Assistants during the summer will continue to be paid monthly, while those who will be supported as Teaching Assistants during the summer are paid at the end of each summer session. Students on University payroll are required to have their paychecks automatically deposited to their bank account by completing a direct deposit authorization form via ConnectCarolina. Students on Graduate School fellowships are generally paid in lump sums at the beginning of the semesters (and/or summer).

As part of your assistantship or fellowship, you will receive an award to cover your full tuition and mandatory student fees. Health insurance is also provided and your monthly premium is covered by your stipend’s funding source. You must remain fully enrolled and maintain good academic standing to qualify for your assistantship and the benefits outlined above.

Supplies and Travel Support

As the departmental budget permits, several awards are offered annually through the Biology Department to help graduate students with research expenses (generally a few hundred dollars per year). The competition for these awards is normally announced in April.

In addition, the UNC Graduate School awards transportation grants. These grants cover travel expenses only and are available for doctoral and masters students presenting research papers at international, national, regional academic conferences or meetings of professional societies. Students may receive this grant only once. Applications are considered throughout the year and must be submitted prior to travel. For more information, visit the UNC Graduate School website.

For students interested in research in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology our application, interview, and admission process is now handled through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program. Note that students interested in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) must apply through a different mechanism (refer to the EEOB application page for information).  Students interested in the interface of MCDB and EEOB should contact one or more prospective faculty advisers for guidance on how to apply.

Click here to begin the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program application process.

The Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP) is unified way for prospective students interested in the Department of Biology or any of the other 12 participating graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to apply for graduate study. BBSP acts as a common portal through which students begin their graduate studies at UNC-CH. Students admitted to UNC-CH through BBSP initially have no commitment to any specific Ph.D. program. At the end of the first year students select a thesis research lab and join a PhD program or department (usually one of the programs in which your faculty preceptor is a member). We are excited about the flexibility this program offers to our students during their first year. For a more complete description of the application process visit the BBSP Apply page.

While BBSP students have the freedom to choose coursework and rotations from any of the participating programs, including the Department of Biology, if you are interested only in research in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology in the Department of Biology PhD program you should still apply through BBSP. You will then begin fulfilling the Department’s degree requirements (e.g. taking the appropriate courses) in your first year, and will rotate with faculty in the Department of Biology.