Structural Biology

Courses offered by the Department of Structural Biology are listed under the subject code SBIO on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.

The department offers course work and opportunities for research in structural biology.

The emphasis of research in the department is on understanding fundamental cellular processes in terms of the structure and function of biological macromolecules and their assemblies. Techniques used include standard methods of biochemistry, cell culture, single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, genetic engineering, and three dimensional structure determination by x-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron microscopy, coupled with the development of computational methods.

Doctor of Philosophy in Structural Biology

Admission

Applicants to the program should have a bachelor's degree and should have completed at least a year of coursework in biology, mathematics, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and physics. Applications must be received by the department before December 15 for notification by April 15. Application to the National Science Foundation for fellowship support is also encouraged. Prospective applicants should contact the Department of Structural Biology for further information. GRE general score is optional and GRE subject score is not required.

The recommendations for applying to the Ph.D. program in the Department of Structural Biology include:

Graduate Studies:

Ph.D. students in the Department of Structural Biology are required to complete all the following requirements:

1. The graduate program is intended to prepare students for careers as independent investigators in cell and molecular biology. The principal requirement of a Ph.D. degree is the completion of research constituting an original and significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge.  It is a training in a major with connections to biophysics (e.g., physics, chemistry, or biology, with a quantitative background equivalent to that of an undergraduate physics or chemistry major at Stanford).
2. Opportunities for teaching are available during the first nine quarters at the discretion of the advising committee.
3. The student must prepare a dissertation proposal defining the research to be undertaken including methods of procedure. This proposal should be submitted by the end of summer quarter of the second year, and it must be approved by a committee of at least three members including the principal research adviser and at least one member from the Department of Structural Biology. The candidate must defend the dissertation proposal in an oral examination. The dissertation reading committee normally evolves from the dissertation proposal review committee.
4. The student must present a Ph.D. dissertation as the result of independent investigation and expressing a contribution to knowledge in the field of structural biology.
5. The student must pass the University oral examination, taken only after the student has substantially completed the research. The examination is preceded by a public seminar in which the research is presented by the candidate.

Current topics of research in the department lie in the areas of gene expression; theoretical, crystallographic, and genetic analysis of protein structure; and cell-cell interaction. See Stanford's School of Medicine web site for further information.

COVID-19 Policies

On July 30, the Academic Senate adopted grading policies effective for all undergraduate and graduate programs, excepting the professional Graduate School of Business, School of Law, and the School of Medicine M.D. Program. For a complete list of those and other academic policies relating to the pandemic, see the "COVID-19 and Academic Continuity" section of this bulletin.

The Senate decided that all undergraduate and graduate courses offered for a letter grade must also offer students the option of taking the course for a “credit” or “no credit” grade and recommended that deans, departments, and programs consider adopting local policies to count courses taken for a “credit” or “satisfactory” grade toward the fulfillment of degree-program requirements and/or alter program requirements as appropriate.

Graduate Degree Requirements

Grading

The Department of Structural Biology counts all courses taken in academic year 2020-21 with a grade of 'CR' (credit) or 'S' (satisfactory) towards satisfaction of graduate degree requirements that otherwise require a letter grade provided that the instructor affirms that the work was done at a 'B-' or better level.

Graduate Advising Expectations

The Department of Structural Biology is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the adviser and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the adviser and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisers guide students in key areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing of teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the "Graduate Advising" section of this bulletin.

Chair: William I. Weis

Associate Chair: Michael Levitt

Director of Graduate Studies: Theodore Jardetzky

Professors:

• K. Christopher Garcia
• Theodore Jardetzky
• Roger D. Kornberg
• Michael Levitt
• Peter Parham
• Joseph D. Puglisi
• Georgios Skiniotis
• Soichi Wakatsuki
• William I. Weis

Associate Professor (Research):

• Yahli Lorch

Assistant Professor (Research):

• Elizabetta Viani Puglisi

Associate Professor:

• Adam de la Zerda

Courtesy Professor:

• Axel Brunger
• Vijay Pande

Courtesy Associate Professor:

• Zev Bryant