Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry. Facilities, faculty and research laboratories are housed in the Biosystems Research Complex, Jordan Hall and the Greenwood Genetic Center. Ours is a selective, exciting and productive department with teaching and research expertise in genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics, human and veterinary medical genetics, biochemical genetics, developmental genetics, genomics, microbial biochemistry, plant biochemistry, protein biochemistry and bioinformatics. Faculty members publish in top-tier journals, present at national/international scientific conferences and serve on grant proposal review panels, scientific boards and editorial boards.

For undergraduate students, we offer comprehensive and challenging curricula leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics or Biochemistry. Faculty are dedicated to teaching of undergraduates and offer courses that include rigorous laboratory components that prepare students for immediate entry into academic, industrial, and government laboratories as well as acceptance to dental/graduate/medical/optometry/veterinary schools.

For graduate students, we offer a well-crafted doctoral program that includes certain core courses and laboratory rotations. Additionally, the department provides excellent training for postdoctoral scholars. Graduate students carry out their research, publish, and move onto excellent postdoctoral positions. State of the art equipment and funding from private, state and federal (e.g., NIH, NSF, USDA) sources provide the necessary foundation for graduate students to earn their degrees in a timely fashion while contributing to the scientific enterprise through novel research. Current research focuses on microbial, plant, and protein biochemistry as well as microbial, plant, human and veterinary genetics. Various projects incorporate both basic research and applied research. This affords graduate students and postdoctoral scholars insight into traditional, hypothesis-driven research as well as the application of findings from such research to addressing “real world” issues in science and biomedicine. Postdoctoral scholars benefit from the aforementioned resources, are well-published, write their own proposals and participate in training of graduate students while developing into independent investigators who will soon lead their own research groups.

In closing, I am confident that we offer outstanding training opportunities for the undergraduate student to the postdoctoral scholar. Please peruse our website to learn more about who we are, what we do, why we do it and how you may benefit from us and also enhance us.

Sincerely,

Keith. E. Murphy, Ph.D. Professor and Chair