Pitt and CMU team up to offer new doctoral program Maria Masters, Senior Staff Writer… Pitt and CMU team up to offer new doctoral program Maria Masters, Senior Staff Writer

Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University have teamed up to offer a joint doctoral degree program in structural biology and biophysics.

Biophysicists apply the principles of physics and mathematics to examine the structures of biological systems. Structural biologists study protein structures and molecules with the use of advanced technological machineries.

The program allows students to obtain a Ph.D. in two highly specialized areas of biology, making it very attractive to undergraduates, said Angela Gronenborn, the program’s director.

“Only in the past couple of years have people been asking questions [pertaining to biophysics],” Gronenborn said. “These types of questions haven’t been asked up until now, and we need to find people to work in these areas.”

Gronenborn was trained in chemistry and physics but did not have any formal training in biology. When she decided that she wanted to work in biology, she had to learn it on her own time and collaborate with other biologists.

Despite the specialized fields, Gronenborn said that the program’s graduating students would not have trouble finding a job.

“I would hope that a lot of students who were trained in this field would go into academia,” Gronenborn said, but students could also work for companies who specialize in drug design.

Jim Swyers, a senior science writer at UPMC, also cited pharmaceutical companies and health organizations as potential employers.

“You are extremely employable if you are a biophysicist,” Swyers said. “You are also very smart.”

The program, which officially started in 2005, now has approximately 15 members and has made a number of evolutions since then, Swyers said.

Last year, the program offered graduate courses but now offers students a chance to earn their Ph.D.’s as well. Swyers said that this recent change will attract more students to their program.

Undergraduate applicants are required to have degrees in biology, mathematics, chemistry or physics and are not limited to students who have graduated from Pitt or CMU.

“We are getting applicants from all over the country,” Swyers said. “I’m sure that we are getting the best and the brightest.”