online phd programs in biochemistry

The application deadline for Fall 2024 is December 2, 2024. Please apply here . Please sign up to receive information about our biochemistry program and follow us on Twitter .

Study Among the Best

With 2 Nobel Laureates, research recognized by membership in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and 6 faculty in the National Academy of Sciences, Duke’s Department of Biochemistry is one of the pre-eminent programs in the country. We offer a wide range of research options and close collaboration with our faculty —training you to become a skilled scientist who’s ready for academia, industry, or government.

Biochemistry PhD graduate students learn the fundamental concepts in biochemistry and physical biochemistry and the critical analysis of published research through:

Faculty mentored research
Graduate coursework
An environment that leverages knowledge from in and outside the university

You will work with primary and/or multi-disciplinary faculty to choose a thesis topic from a wide range of current research projects including:

Analysis and design of protein and RNA structure
Biogenesis of membrane proteins
Cytoskeleton structure
Drug design
Enzyme mechanisms
Glycoproteins
Ion channel structure and function
Membrane receptors and signal transduction
Membrane vesicle production and function
Mechanisms of DNA repair and DNA repair defects in tumor biology
Mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis, drug resistance, and tolerance
Metalloproteins
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcription and gene regulation
RNA modification
X-ray crystallography and NMR studies on macromolecular structure and folding

Broaden Your Horizon. Focus Your Career Plan

We provide resources that start you on your career trajectory with leadership instruction, professional development, and teacher training workshops. In a testament to our career development, our graduates have taken positions in academia, industry, and government agencies. See where they're working .

Our Location Fosters Collaboration

The Department of Biochemistry is an integral part of the world-renowned Duke Medical Center and sits adjacent to the Arts and Sciences Campus—placing our faculty and students in the center of a highly productive and collaborative scientific community

"Duke is very committed to taking care of its students—there is always someone who is ready to help and support you. The biochemistry department especially feels like home! " —Grace Hooks, 2019 Matriculant

Biochemistry Mission Statement

The mission of the Duke University Biochemistry Graduate program is to educate and mentor students from diverse backgrounds in the fundamentals of biochemical principles and practice through courses and research by (1) guiding students in their thesis research project, and (2) preparing them for a career in research, education, or other disciplines. The program promotes a commitment to excellence in research scholarship and fosters a spirit of creativity, service, and respect, within an environment that is ethical, inclusive, and diverse.

Graduates from our program will have the necessary knowledge, research skills, and career guidance in the field of biochemistry to succeed in a research and/or scientific career . Specific program aims are:

Coursework: Graduates will be trained in a broad understanding of cellular structure and function at a molecular level; with deep knowledge in specific disciplines such as nucleic acid biochemistry, molecular genetics, biophysical methods, mechanistic enzymology, glycobiology, and membrane biogenesis, dynamics, transport, and receptor biology; and critical scientific thinking skills.
Research: Develop student skills a) in the laboratory and/or with computational research in order to reveal new biological principles; b) to perform in-depth analysis, interpretation, and presentation of research results; and c) to conduct ethical and responsible research.
Career Development: Prepare graduates for careers in interdisciplinary biochemical fields through training in scientific research, responsibility and ethics, teaching, and science communication.

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Graduate Programs

Biomed: molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry.

The graduate program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental program that offers students excellent preparation for a career that includes research in biological and medical sciences.

The mission of the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry Graduate Program (MCBGP) is to build and sustain an equitable and inclusive training environment in which a diverse group of PhD students will successfully gain quantitative, conceptual, technical, and professional skills that will allow them to conduct the rigorous and reproducible research demanded by interdisciplinary life science. Our goal is to make fundamental contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular, organ, and organismal function. We apply our findings to detect and treat human disease and to many other challenges that biotechnology can address.

The MCBGP draws faculty trainers from five departments within the Program in Biology (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry; Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology; and Neuroscience), four departments within the Warren Alpert Medical School (Medicine; Pathology; Orthopaedics and Pediatrics), and from the Chemistry, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics departments.

During their first two years in the program, students engage in training activities designed to build research and professional skills. During the first year, advising is overseen by the program leadership, which includes a director, an assistant director, and a director for inclusion and diversity. Students complete three laboratory rotations and then join a thesis lab and begin to work with their primary advisor at the end of the first year. Thesis advisors are committed to effectively mentoring graduate students and provide opportunities for students to initiate, conduct, interpret, and present research with increasing self-direction.

Additional Resources

MCBGP students have access to excellent core facilities that provide training and support in the areas of bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, imaging, and genetic analysis of model organisms.

Application Information

Application requirements, gre subject:.

Not required

GRE General:

Dates/deadlines, application deadline, completion requirements.

Proficiency in core areas of biochemistry, cellular biology, developmental biology, and molecular genetics through a common first semester core course and seminars that develop breadth in areas such as gene structure and expression, signal transduction, virology, biology of aging, epigenetics, genomics, structural biology, RNA metabolism, protein folding and function, cancer biology, and developmental biology; one semester of teaching; research seminars and rotations in three different laboratories leading to a potential thesis project.