Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology (GRAD)

The Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology is an interdepartmental predoctoral training program leading to a Ph.D. degree in genetics and molecular biology. The goal of this program is to train students to be creative, sophisticated research scientists within the disciplines of genetics and molecular biology. To this end, we emphasize acquisition of a foundation of knowledge, accumulation of the laboratory skills required for implementing research objectives, development of the ability to formulate experimental approaches to solving contemporary problems in the biological sciences, and completion of an original research project. During their first year, students enroll in graduate-level courses and participate in laboratory rotations. Subsequently, students select a faculty research advisor and establish an advisory committee. Research work is done in the laboratory facilities of the individual faculty member and is supported primarily by faculty research grants.

The curriculum faculty have appointments in 14 departments in the School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the College of Arts and Sciences. The faculty represent diverse research interests that use the tools of genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry to address fundamental questions in the areas of cell cycle regulation, chromosome structure, development and disease models, DNA repair and recombination, genome stability, evolutionary genetics, genomics, human genetics, epigenetics & chromatin biology, neurobiology, pathogens and immunity, signal transduction, transcription, gene regulation, and virology. Students are able to choose from a variety of biological systems and questions for their thesis research.

Courses

Numbered 600-999:

• Genetics and Molecular Biology (GNET)

Genetics and Molecular Biology, Ph.D.

The Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology (GMB) is an interdepartmental PhD program whose mission is (1) to train students from diverse backgrounds to earn a PhD in the fields of genetics, genomics, and molecular biology by guiding them through the acquisition of essential elements of the PhD, including responsible achievement of significant original research; and (2) to provide opportunities for learning about the breadth of careers in research and research-related fields and acquiring the skills and experiences that will facilitate the transition into such careers.

Course Requirements

¹

These lists are not exclusive and additional courses approved by the DGS may fulfill these requirements.

²

Students must take GNET 994 twice for a minimum of 6 credit hours.

³

Please note that this does not include the hours you must complete during the first-year Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program.

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.

• Doctoral Committee
• Doctoral Oral Comprehensive Exam
• Doctoral Written Exam
• Prospectus Oral Exam
• Dissertation Defense
• Doctoral Dissertation Approved/Format Accepted
• Residence Credit
• Doctoral ​Exit Survey
• Doctoral Teaching Experience
• Doctoral Manuscript Submission

Professors

Shawn Ahmed, Telomere Replication and Germline Immortality in C. elegans
Albert S. Baldwin, Regulation of Gene Expression, Control of Oncogenesis and Apoptosis
Victoria Bautch, Molecular Genetics of Blood Vessel Formation in Mouse Models
Jonathan Berg, Clinical Adult and Cancer Genetics
Kerry Bloom, Chromosome Dynamics, Centromere Structure and Function, Polymer Models of Chromosomes, Aneuploidy
Patrick Brennwald, Cell Biology and Physiology
Kathleen Caron, Genetically Engineered Animal Models in the Study of Human Disease
Frank L. Conlon, Mesodermal Patterning and Heart Development, T-Box Genes
Jeanette Cook, Integrating DNA Replication Control with Checkpoint Signaling
Gregory P. Copenhaver, Regulation of Meiotic Recombination in Higher Eukaryotes
Blossom Damania, Viral Oncogenes, Signal Transduction, Transcription and Immune Evasion of KSHV/RRV
Ian Davis, Mechanisms of Transcription Factor Deregulation in Cancer Development
Channing J. Der, Oncogenes, Ras Superfamily Protein, Signal Transduction
Dirk P. Dittmer, Anti-Lymphoma Therapies
Bob Duronio, Genetics of Cell-Cycle Control during Drosophila Development
Michael Emanuele, Cell Cycle Regulation by the Ubiquitin System
Bob Goldstein, Generation of Cell Diversity in Early Development of C. elegans
Mark Heise, Genetics of Arbovirus Virulence and Immune Evasion
Corbin D. Jones, Population Genetics and Evolution in Drosophila
Jonathan Juliano, Malaria Drug Resistance, Diversity and Population Evolution
Samir Kelada, Genetics and Genomics of Environmentally Induced Asthma
Joseph Kieber, Molecular Genetic Analysis of Hormone Signaling in Arabidopsis
William Kim, Exploration of the Role of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor in Tumorigenesis
Amy Shaub Maddox, Mechanisms of Cell Shape Change
Terry Magnuson, Mammalian Genetics, Epigenetics, Genomics
William F. Marzluff, Regulation of RNA Metabolism in Animal Cells
A. Gregory Matera, Biogenesis of Small Ribonucleoproteins in Health and Disease
Daniel Matute
Karen L. Mohlke, Human Genetics and Genomics, Diabetes, Complex Diseases
Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, Meiotic Drive, Chromosome Segregation, Non-Mendelian Genetics
Chad Pecot, Solid Tumor Malignancies
Mark Peifer, Cell Adhesion, Signal Transduction and Cancer
Charles Perou, Genomic and Molecular Classification of Human Tumors to Guide Therapy
Jeremy Purvis, Signal Transduction in Cancer and Stem Cells
Dale Ramsden, V(D)J Recombination, DNA Double Strand Break Repair
Jason W. Reed, Plant Development, Auxin Signaling, Light Responses
Aziz Sancar, Structure and Function of DNA Repair Enzymes, Biological Clock
Jeff Sekelsky, Genetics of Genome Instability in Drosophila
Shehzad Sheikh, Immune Responses to the Microbiome in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
Brian Strahl, Histone Modifications and Gene Regulation
Lisa Tarantino, Genetic Mapping of Complex Behavioral Traits
Nancy Thomas, Molecular Epidemiological and Translational Studies of Melanoma
Cyrus Vaziri, Integration of DNA Replication and Repair
Bernard Weissman
Jason Whitmire, Genetic Regulation of T Cell Responses to Virus Infection
Sam Young

Associate Professors

Michael Bressan
Edward Browne
J. Mauro Calabrese, Epigenetic Control by Long Noncoding RNAs, Genomics, Stem Cells, Cancer, Human Genetic Disorders
Jill Dowen, Three-Dimensional Genome Architecture and Gene Regulation in Development and Disease
Jimena Giudice, Alternative Splicing, Epigenetic and Intracellular Trafficking in Heart and Skeletal Muscle Development and Diseases
Gaorav Gupta, Genome Integrity in Breast Cancer
Brent Hanks
Nate Hathaway, Mechanisms of Mammalian Genome Regulation, Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery
Erin Heinzen, Identification and Functional Characterization of Highly Penetrant Risk Factors in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Kathryn Hoadley, Integrative Genomic Characterization of Cancer and Precancer
Folami Ideraabdullah, Genetics, Toxicants, and Nutrition: Gene-Environment Interactions in Epigenetic Gene Regulation
Jonathan Juliano, Malaria Drug Resistance, Diversity and Population Evolution
Sarah Linnsteadt, Genetic and Transcriptional Mechanisms of Increased Chronic Pain and PTSD
Pengda Liu, Biochemistry and Biophysics
Daniel McKay, Developmental Genomics, Regulation of Gene Expression
Zachary Nimchuk, Plant Developmental Genetics and Stem Cell Regulation
Jonathan Parr, Molecular Epidemiology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases
Chad Pecot, Biology of Metastatic Cancer, Sirna Regulation of Gene Expression in Tumors
Douglas Phanstiel, Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Acquisition of Disease States in Cells
Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, Immunomodulatory Mechanisms in Pancreatic Cancer and Metastasis
Steve Rogers
Gregory Scherrer, Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Pain Perception and Opioid Receptor Function
Celia Shiau, Function and Development of Macrophages and Brain Microglia; Inflammation and Innate Immune Activation
Karl Shpargel, Roles of Chromatin-Modifying Enzymes in Developmental Epigenetics and Disease
Keriayn Smith, Context Specific Functions of Long Noncoding RNAs
Jason Stein, Genome Variation that Affects the Structure and Development of the Brain and Risk for Neuropsychiatric Illness
Scott Williams, Asymmetric Cell Division in Development and Disease, Epithelial Differentiation
Hyejung Won, Genetics of Psychiatric Illnesses and Neurobiological Mechanisms
Melinda Yates, Cancers that Form in the Lining of the Uterus (Endometrium)

Assistant Professors

Katie Baldwin, Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Astrocyte Development in the Mammalian Brain
Jiakun Chen, Fundamental Mechanisms of how Astrocytes Contribute to Nervous System Formation and Function
Rob Dowen, Regulation of Fat Metabolism During Development, Aging, and Disease
Whitney Edwards, The Cellular Processes Essential for Cardiac Development and Determine how these Processes Are Altered in CHDs
Kacy Gordon, Development and Evolution of the Germ Line Stem Cell Niche
Wonho Kim
Laura Lee
Qingyun Liu, Bacterial Evolution; Population Genomics; Natural Selection; Infectious Disease; Mycobacterium Tuberculosis; Nontuberculosis Mycobacteria (NTM); Antibiotic Resistance; Transmissibility; Virulence; Pathogenicity
Robert Mealer, Schizophrenia Genetics; Protein Glycosylation; Molecular Neuroscience
Brian C Miller, Developing Personalized Cancer Immunotherapies by Targeting Myeloid Cells
Justin Milner, Transcriptional and Epigenetic Regulation of T Cell Differentiation During Infection and Cancer
John Morris IV, Modeling Mechanisms of Epigenetic and Genomic Heterogeneity that Connect Cancer Driver Mutations with Malignant Identity
Benjamin Parker
Jesse Raab, Regulation and Function of Altered Chromatin Remodeling Complex Activity
Laura Raffield, Environmental Risk Factors for Cardiometabolic Diseases, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, and Related Quantitative Traits
Christoph Rau, The Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Landscape Underlying Cardiovascular Disorders
Ageliki Tsagaratou, Epigenetic and Transcriptional Regulation in T Cell Differentiation, Function and Disease
Anthony Zannas, Biomolecular Mechanisms Linking Psychosocial Stress with Disease Risk