At the Interface of Chemistry and Biology
CBGP Students enjoy:
- 10 week rotations selected from over 45 labs in seven departments
- Three poster sessions a year.
- Four required classes that easily fit into their home department requirements:
- Bioorganic Chemistry (Chem 236): This course reviews, reinforces, and builds upon the organic and biophysical chemistry skills that are needed for research in Chemical Biology. It includes a review of relevant reaction mechanisms and arrow pushing skills, a focused look at the chemical reactions of biomolecules, a survey of biochemical structural features, and a discussion of reaction energetics. Following this, the course surveys key contemporary areas of Chemical Biology research, including drug design, immunotherapy techniques, CRISPR/Cas9 strategies, drug delivery, computational chemical biology, and other topics
- Chemical Biology (Chem 271/MCB212): This course provides additional lectures about biomolecule structure and function, and features discussions of contemporary topics in Chemical Biology that are led by guest speakers who are leaders in the field
- Rigor and Reproducibility in Research (MCB 293D): The purpose of this course is to ensure that Chemical Biology researchers receive training in Rigor and Reproducibility in Research. Students also gain an understanding of federal, state, and UC Berkeley policies and resources available to further support their research endeavors.
- Responsible Conduct of Research (MCB 293C): This course addresses ethical issues such as: research misconduct and social responsibility; responsible authorship, publication, and peer review; mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships; conflicts of interests; and collaborative research and professionalism. Case studies of historical significance are presented and discussed as a framework for these topics.
- Additional Chemical Biology advising to supplement what is already available from the home department
- Participation in a Chemical Biology Peer Mentoring Program, through which incoming students are paired with advanced students who can provide advice, lab introductions, and support
- Chemical Biology Supergroup meetings to network and discover research happening across the UC Berkeley campus
- CBGP Supergroup to network and discover research happening within the Cal campus
- An annual Chemical Biology in the Bay Area Day with chemical biologists from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and UC San Francisco
- An annual Career Day to network with diverse professionals who started with a Chemical Biology background
Participating Departments
Department of Chemistry
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
CBGP students receive their PhD from one of these two participating departments in addition to the specialized training in chemical biology. In addition to these core departments, CBGP extends to a broader range of faculty in affiliated departments (CBE, BioE, NST, PMB, and Physics).