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Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics and Structural Biology

The Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BQBS) Track provides students with experimental, theoretical, and computational research training across a broad range of scales, from molecules to cells to whole organisms. Our approaches encompass a full range of modern disciplines including biochemistry and molecular biology, biophysics, chemistry, cell biology, genomics and proteomics, computational biology, and structural biology.

Recent revolutionary developments in modern biology have greatly advanced the diverse interests of our faculty. Technical advances in X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), live imaging, single molecule studies, next-generation sequencing, and mass spectrometry have led to a wealth of quantitative data for addressing long-standing biology questions. The integration of experimental data with computer modeling has stimulated productive collaborations among the disciplines of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Our students will thus have a broad training in experimental and quantitative skills to perform in-depth mechanistic studies of diverse biological processes.

Students in this Track are expected to meet rigorous standards in their course work and research. Our mission is to impart the intellectual and practical skills needed to engage in biological research at the highest level. We believe this requires a combination of deep understanding of biology and chemistry and the application of quantitative methods and modeling. It is our goal to develop our students’ independence, creativity and rigor, while fostering their adventurousness. These are the attributes that will propel our trainees to be future leaders in their field.

For more information, please email bqbs.registrar@yale.edu.

The BQBS track in Yale’s BBS Program is the perfect environment for fostering innovative and interdisciplinary thinking. With research ranging from theoretical biology to RNA biochemistry, BQBS is a wonderful place to study for folks interested in a wide array of topics. The classes, seminars, and informal discussions reflect the diversity of thought and research in the program. Coursework spans all areas of biology, from macromolecular structure and molecular biology to cell biology and organismal-level physiology. With quantitative courses such as biological physics and dynamical systems, the BQBS track encourages students to approach biology more analytically and mathematically. The laboratory rotations in BQBS are equally diverse; given that the labs at Yale cover nearly all biological topics, the only limitation during rotations is the student’s intellectual curiosity. Since arriving at Yale, I have conducted research with incredibly brilliant and supportive faculty members, and I have studied alongside students who will become future leaders in their field. BQBS has allowed me to develop as a student and scientist, in a collaborative and welcoming atmosphere.

Kyrillos Abdallah