Cell and Developmental Biology

The fundamental unit of life is the cell. The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology is one of the pre-eminent cell biology departments in the country, with exceptional faculty working on a broad range of questions about the inner workings of cells, the intercellular interactions that enable tissue and organ morphogenesis, and the defects in these processes that lead to diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology offers a collaborative and inclusive environment, and our faculty employ an array of model systems ranging from the single-celled yeast to flies, worms, frogs, mice, human stem cells and organoids. There is strong interest in single cell biology and chemical biology, as well as various cutting-edge technologies that allow massively parallel analysis at high spatial and temporal resolution. The department recently funded a Nikon Center of Excellence that enables super-resolution imaging of living cells, and is involved in building revolutionary new types of microscopes.

The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology offers a diverse, highly interactive and exciting environment for graduate student training.