Program Overview

New ways of thinking about science require new ways of training students. Duke is a leader in science at the forefront, and in interdisciplinary education. Towards these goals, Duke offers a range of novel programs that train researchers to apply the concepts of the fundamental disciplines to important new areas of biomedical research.

The Biological Chemistry Program at Duke trains chemists at the interface of biology. A consideration of the mechanisms of biological processes at atomic length scales paves the way for a better understanding of our natural world and an ability to control this world. The Program was formed in 1994, primarily involving faculty in the Departments of Chemistry in Trinity College of Duke University and Biochemistry in the Duke University Medical Center. Today, the Program draws participants from five departments, including Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, and Chemistry.

The Program in Biological Chemistry is an admitting unit of the graduate school, but not a degree granting unit of the graduate school. What does this mean? Simply put, you will apply to the Program and be admitted to the University by the Program, but you will receive your degree from a Department, whose identity will be determined by your choice of advisor. Regardless of whom you affiliate with and what Department you receive your degree through, your degree will be certified as having completed the Program in Biological Chemistry. The Program brings together faculty from Departments in both the Medical Center and the University who share an interest in chemistry at the interface of biology. For people with interests in chemistry at the interface of biology, this non-traditional mechanism of entering the University is of tremendous value. Most significantly, participation in the Program greatly expands the pool of faculty mentors for you to consider as potential mentors. While a traditional Department might have two or three faculty really with interests that closely approximate your own, the Program in Biological Chemistry will almost certainly have many more. The Program also provides a very significant cross-training opportunity, and allows you to form meaningful research relationships with people in disparate Departments.

Representative programs of study are shown below. During your first year on campus, you would take courses – much as you would have had you entered the University through a traditional Department – and complete rotations in Program faculty labs. These rotations provide a true cross-training experience; you conduct research in Program faculty labs for six to eight week periods. You would complete at least three rotations, including at least one in the Medical Center (Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Cell Biology, Neurobiology) and at least one in the University (Chemistry, Biology). After completing rotations, you will select a faculty mentor with whom to conduct thesis research. At this point you develop your advisor's affiliation, and receive your degree through that Department.

Students are also required to receive instruction in the ethical conduct of research. New students will attend a weekend retreat at the Duke University Marine Laboratory on Pivers Island near Beaufort, NC. In future years, students will participate in special interest seminars designed to spark interest and provoke thought in topics of current interest in the biomedical community.

Often students in their first year of study in traditional chemistry departments work as teaching assistants in undergraduate labs. Because Program students are supported by an NIH training grant, there is no teaching requirement during the first year of residence. Some of the participating Departments have teaching requirements of upper classmen; in no case is this requirement for more than one semester.

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