Graduate Programs
Programs in Biological Sciences
UCSF offers a rich variety of research opportunities in the biological sciences encompassing multiple different disciplines and departments. The graduate faculty at UCSF created the Herbert W. Boyer Program in Biological Sciences (PIBS) in order to give students access to the broadest possible range of research and to encourage interactions among faculty and students in different disciplines.
PIBS has allowed the creation of interdisciplinary graduate curricula rather than limiting students to studies in conventional departments. PIBS currently consists of distinct programs offering the Ph.D. degree: Biophysics, Immunology, Neuroscience, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, and the Tetrad program composed of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, and Genetics.
While the five Ph.D. programs differ in their emphasis and degree requirements, students admitted to any PIBS program can enroll in course work, attend retreats and carry out their thesis studies in any of the 150 labs affiliated with PIBS. Prospective students interested in PIBS should go to the links describing the individual graduate programs to determine which programs best fits their background and research interests.
Please follow the links above to learn more about the programs and faculty which participate in PIBS.
Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program
Students enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program will earn a PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences. After completing the first-year core curriculum, students elect to follow one of eight thematic research areas within BMS as represented by our 250+ member laboratories. The curriculum is customized to a research area through choices of specific laboratory rotations, thesis lab, elective coursework, and participation in a thematic area's retreat, seminars, journal club, and other events, and may be customized to follow a more deeply translational path. During the first year in the program, students may rotate in any BMS-affiliated laboratory regardless of thematic area in order to allow flexibility in selecting a lab for thesis research.
The unique curriculum of the BMS program is designed to provide students with a wide range of opportunities for their development as biomedical researchers.
Post Doc Seminar Series
Our quarterly seminar series offers an opportunity for Postdoctoral Scholars within the Department of Physiology to showcase their research findings to the broader Physiology community.
Past Presentations Includes:
| Iris Bachmutsky, PhD | 7/11/23 | Yackle Lab | Can you teach a mouse to hold its breath? |
| Yuta Senzai, PhD | 10/26/23 | Scanziani Lab | The eyes are windows into the dreaming brain |
| Michael Coulter, PhD | 10/26/23 | Frank Lab | Closed-loop modulation of hippocampal representations through neurofeedback |
| Eric Schuppe, PhD | 2/22/24 | Brainard Lab | Inter-individual differences in correlated vocal phenotypes |
| George Lemieux, PhD | 2/22/24 | Ashrafi Lab | Identifying a steroid signal that promotes learning |
| Anudari Letian, PhD | 4/25/24 | Goldberg Lab | Neutrophils: The Overlooked Player in Atherosclerosis |
| Kai Li, PhD | 4/25/24 | Jan Lab | Identifying a Lysosomal Mechanosensor |
| Hongfei Xu PhD | 10/24/24 | Edwards Lab | Mechanism of Frequency-dependent Neurotransmitter Release |
| Fangming Xie, PhD | 10/24/24 | Jan Lab | How visual experience regulates cell types in the visual cortex |
| Mohona Gupta, PhD | 4/15/25 | Delling Lab | Polycystin 1 Surface Expression and Channel Function: Dual Therapeutic Targets in ADPKD "ToloT". |
| Koki Tohara, PhD | 4/15/25 | Julius Lab | Topological Segregation of Stress Sensors Along the Gut Cript-Villus Axis |
| Shenliang Yu, PhD | 9/23/25 | Knight Lab | Large-scale pooled CRIPSRi screening identified key modulators of intestinal nutrient sensing |
| Lin Yuan, PhD | 9/23/25 | Julius Lab | Tuning sensory neuron resilience |
| Alejandro Lopez, PhD | 2/26/26 | Knight Lab | Dynamics of the caudal brainstem during behavior |
| Gal Atlan, PhD | 2/26/26 | Scanziani Lab | Using vision to walk straight: Motor control by primary visual cortex |
| Shweta Jain, PhD | 6/4/26 | Edwards Lab | How Dense Core Vesicles Form |
| Eric Figueroa, PhD | 6/4/26 | Julius Lab | Hormonal Modulation of Visceral Pain |