Students interested in a graduate degree in biophysics have three program options. Each program offers a PhD in biophysics, and all faculty members in the Biophysics Department participate in the programs. Students may apply through the program websites or through the Graduate Admissions and Enrollment website.

Applicants to the Program in Molecular Biophysics (PMB program) must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. International students who are not eligible for support from NIH training grants are welcome to apply for the Jenkins Biophysics Program or Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMDB).

Jenkins Biophysics Program

The Jenkins Biophysics Program is ideal for students with strong math and computational backgrounds, and with a strong desire to learn thermodynamics, structural biology, and biophysics. 

Students carry out their doctoral work with faculty in the Biophysics Department. The program supports graduate students through teaching assistantships during the first two years, and accepts international students who are not training-grant eligible (i.e. students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents). Please indicate “Jenkins Biophysics” for the Program/Department when applying.

Program in Molecular Biophysics

The Program in Molecular Biophysics (PMB) trains students in experimental and computational, molecular, and cellular biophysics. Students receive a strong background in physical chemical principles, structure and properties of biological macromolecules, computation, and biophysical methods. The coursework in PMB focuses primarily on quantitative physical chemistry of biological systems, structure determination and analysis of macromolecules, and computational analysis of biomolecular systems. The training faculty reside in the T. C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, in the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry in the School of Medicine, and in several other departments in the schools of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Health.

Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics

The Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMDB) has a primary focus on biology. 

Students receive strong background in modern biology and they can choose to receive training in biophysics as well. CMDB graduate students participate in a core curriculum including molecular biology, cellular biology, developmental biology, and biophysics. The training faculty reside in the T. C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, in the departments of Biology and Chemistry, and in the Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Embryology on the Homewood campus.