Integrative Biology PhD Program

Spring 2008 orientation

Integrative Biology is a multidisciplinary University-wide doctoral program involving the Charles E. Schmidt Colleges of Science and the Biomedical Science at the Florida Atlantic University. The program is based in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, and is administered in the Department of Biological Sciences. The program director is Dr. R. Murphey. The program admitted its first students in the fall of 2003.

Integrative Biology refers to cross-disciplinary, multilevel approaches to education and research in biology and medicine. Achieving an understanding of biological phenomena through scientific inquiry is becoming increasingly cross-disciplinary. Hence, a perspective that cuts across disciplinary boundaries and views biological phenomena as integrative processes that span levels of biological organization and scale is considered timely.

The program takes advantage of current faculty strengths in biological sub-disciplines such as biomedical science, ecology, molecular biology and physiology to provide academic leadership and mentor graduate students. The research conducted by faculty in the program contributes to fields such as biomedical science, environmental science, marine biology, molecular biology and plant pathology. While the student's dissertation research may be highly focused in one of the sub disciplines, the program curriculum will provide a context for viewing this research in light of its relationship to other levels of biological organization and processes. The curriculum will be individually tailored to each student’s research interests and will be built around a set of core courses that emphasize the theme of Integrative Biology plus statistics, elective courses decided by the student and his/her advisory committee, seminar courses and dissertation research.

Program Address: Program in Integrative Biology, Florida Atlantic University, Sanson Science, Rm 136, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Address queries to Ms. Jennifer Govender, Program assistant at 561-297-0384 (E-Mail: jgovende@fau.edu).

Program guidelines for students

Program guidelines for faculty