As one of our nation's principal centers for biomedical research, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an exciting variety of opportunities for graduate training in the rapidly emerging field of biophysics. Faculty and students from a broad range of traditional departments share a common intellectual quest for the physical and chemical basis of complex biological processes. The Molecular and Cellular Biophysics Program has dual purposes: first, of providing a flexible vehicle for training graduate students who share this intellectual bias; and second, of enhancing the research and training environment for this diverse group of faculty and students.

The primary function of the Molecular and Cellular Biophysics Program is to train highly qualified doctoral students in the field of biophysics. The interdisciplinary nature of this field allows us to consider applicants with undergraduate degrees in any of several fields related to biophysics (e.g., Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics). To gain admission to the Biophysics Program, students must also apply and be admitted to one of the ten participating degree-granting departments or the BBSP Program, from which they will be eligible to earn a Ph.D. with a concentration in Biophysics. Biophysics Trainees must complete the course requirements of their degree granting department and complete Program courses as electives. The Program Core is organized into one and two-credit modules, and these can be matched to the needs of the broad spectrum of students who join our Program. Three modules cover very basic concepts (650 Series), and are taken by all Trainees. Trainees then choose a minimum of three modules from the 660 Series that introduce students to several methods for probing the structure, dynamics, organization, and function of macromolecules in artificial or cellular environments. A year-long seminar course both introduces Trainees to a variety of topics in modern biophysics and teaches students how to prepare and deliver effective oral presentations. Other critical professional skills (scientific writing, time management, negotiating) are developed through optional graduate workshops.

A key element of the training experience is the Research Rotation. All Trainees must complete three research rotations during their first year of study and prepare written reports on these. Research experiences require a minimum of a half semester commitment on the part of both the faculty and student, but longer experiences are arranged when appropriate. Students may choose rotation sponsors from among any of the roughly 48 faculty from ten departments who affiliate with the Program (see "Program Faculty"). The purpose of the rotations is two-fold: first, to help students obtain needed research skills; and, second, to allow students to develop working relationships with several faculty members prior to choosing a thesis advisor. All participating departments have agreed that Biophysics Trainees may choose a thesis advisor from any of the Program faculty, irrespective of departmental affiliation.

The learning and professional growth that derives from informal interactions between program students and faculty is one of the most valuable aspects of Biophysics training at UNC. Trainees are members of the two committees that shape and run the Program. The Program also sponsors activities designed to encourage interactions and exchange of ideas within the entire biophysics community at UNC. A student/faculty reception for new students begins each training year. A highlight of the Fall Semester is the Biophysics Student Symposium at which students working in Biophysics Faculty laboratories present posters on their research. Student organizers also invite talks by one or two trainees, and by an off-campus biophysicist. This semi-annual event alternates with the Carolina Biophysics Symposium that is cosponsored with Duke University, NC State Univeristy and Wake Forest University. Biophysicists from around the world participate in these symposia. Free registration is provided for all trainees. An essential element of the training curriculum is the student- and faculty-sponsored Biophysics Seminar Program. This brings students and many of the faculty together several times a year. The Program also sponsors the student-run Biophysics Forum where students present their research in an informal atmosphere conducive to free exchange of ideas. Students and postdoctoral fellows are also encouraged to present/discuss recent advances in their fields as well as aspects of their own research interests in several faculty-sponsored journal clubs and discussion groups.