Graduate Programs
I am affiliated with several graduate programs at Penn State listed below. If you are interested in becoming a graduate student for one of these programs, information about the different programs is provided by the links below.
- Molecular Toxicology
- Molecular Medicine
- Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology (BMMB)
- Pathobiology
- Nutrition
Molecular Toxicology
Molecular toxicology continues to be one of the most rapidly growing fields requiring advanced scientific training. This interest reflects expanding public awareness of potential or perceived threats to our health posed by chemicals synthesized for consumption or released into the environment. Molecular toxicologists investigate how, why and when chemicals cause harm to life, for example, by affecting cellular and molecular processes leading to cancer.
Molecular Medicine
Molecular Medicine is the study of disease at a molecular and cellular level. For example, you may investigate the causes of disease, potential treatments and therapies for disease, and ways of preventing disease. Some of the diseases and disease agents being studied by program faculty include health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer and infectious pathogens such as Hepatitis B Virus and Human Papillomavirus. Some faculty focus on exploring biological processes involved in disease and health. Others conduct translational research: how to apply laboratory findings to clinical settings.
Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology
Penn State's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers a graduate program in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology (BMMB). The major goal of the program is to provide a challenging and rewarding academic environment in which students can develop research and teaching skills to the fullest. Training is flexible and is tailored to the talents and research interests of each student.
Pathobiology
The graduate program in Pathobiology is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of disease. Housed in the Department of Veterinary Science, the Pathobiology program has a young and active faculty. This affords graduates students an outstanding selection of laboratories in which to work. Research focuses on three areas: immunology, toxicology, and pathogenesis of disease. Immunology faculty seek to understand the mechanisms by which the body fights disease. Their work covers a range of important research areas, from the role of cell signaling in B and T lymphocytes to that of macrophages in cell-mediated immunity. Similarly, faculty in toxicology provide exciting opportunities to study the response of cells to toxic compounds and how antioxidants affect cellular metabolism. The study of pathogenesis has brought together a diverse faculty with a wide range of techniques to bear on both human diseases and those that affect agricultural animals. Faculty research is well funded, with external funding coming primarily from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. and Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture.
Nutrition
The mission of the Nutrition Program is to promote and develop leaders in Nutrition. The program provides leadership and a central focus for nutrition research and education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It enhances the quality and breadth of nutrition by integrating resources and expertise across departments and colleges. The Graduate Program in Nutrition offers both MS and PhD degrees.