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Ph.D. Program in Biophysics

Program Objectives
The graduate program in Biophysical Sciences is interdisciplinary in outlook, and strives to draw together biophysical interests from throughout the academic community. Accordingly, collaborative relationships are maintained with a number of laboratories outside the Department. Notable among these associations are the Biophysics department at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute. On campus, long-standing links exist with the Departments of Radiology, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Medicine, and Oral Biology, and a number of faculty in these units hold joint appointments in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Consequently, a broad spectrum of biophysical expertise and research opportunities are available to the students of Biophysical Sciences.

Structure of the Program
The programs of instruction and research in biophysics can be broadly categorized into three areas: experimental, theoretical, and applied biophysics. Membrane biophysics, historically a major focus of the program, remains a strong interest. Current research programs are concerned with the physico-chemical characterization of biological membranes, permeation and fusion mechanisms, membrane transporter proteins and their regulation, neurotransmitters and receptors in the visual system, the structure of ionic channels and gating kinetics, and the relationship between molecular dynamics of channels and the detailed molecular structure

Theoretical studies and modeling are being pursued in relation to these experimental studies, such as the analysis of single-channel conductance time series in terms of multi-state kinetic models. In addition, theoretical exploration of generalized ionic transport processes, non-linear dynamic models, and non-equilibrium thermodynamics are ongoing activities

Biophysics is applied to clinical diagnostic procedures and therapy in the development of imaging techniques and the analysis of radio-biological phenomena. New and more reliable clinical applications of diagnostic thermal imaging is the objective of current research. A track in medical radiation biophysics, offered in collaboration with Radiology, provides clinically relevant experience in this area

Training and research areas offered by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics are complementary to those of the Biophysics graduate program at Roswell Park. This program is strong in molecular biophysics, X-ray crystallography, and radio-biology. The resources offered by both programs are available to the students in either, and a number of courses are presented conjointly

Individual student programs are tailored to the students needs and interest, and to ensure broad experience in the major areas of the biophysical sciences. A graduate student of Biophysical Sciences enjoys considerable freedom in the development of dissertation research, and in the choice of his/her major professor

Admission Requirement & Procedure:
On-line application: http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/bsgp
The candidate for graduate work in Biophysical Sciences should have demonstrated above-average academic performance, especially in mathematics, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, physics and biology. Entry into the program is contingent upon award of the baccalaureate degree.

Applicants generally enter the program through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, to which all of the graduate programs in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences contribute. After the one-year core Interdisciplinary Program, students request entry into the graduate program of their preference.

Applicants may also be admitted into the Program in Biophysical Sciences directly, without first entering the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, based upon the particular circumstances of the applicant. Generally, direct admission is contingent upon a specific correlation between the research interests and training of the applicant, and ongoing research programs represented within the Program in Biophysical Sciences. Direct admission requires the approval of the Student Affairs Committee of the Department.

Acceptance into the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, and subsequent or direct admission into the Program in Biophysical Science normally are accompanied by support in the form of a Graduate or Research Assistantship, as well as a Tuition Scholarship covering most or all of the tuition costs involved. Application requires submission of the following documents:

Official transcripts from each institution previously attended;
GRE scores;
three letters of recommendation;
a personal statement of career objectives and future plans;
in the case of international applicants, a TOEFL score of 575 or above.

Requirements for the Ph.D.: Unversity/Institutional Graduate School Requirements:

A minimum of three years (72 credit hours) of graduate study
A minimum residence of one year (24 credit hours)
Continuous registration for a minimum of one semester hour each Fall and Spring term until all requirements for the degree are completed.
A Ph.D. dissertation which is an original contribution, normally written in English.
A Major Professor and a minimum of two members of the Department's Graduate Faculty and a third member from outside of the Department shall form the Thesis Advisory Committee. All should hold the rank of Assistant Professor or above in the University faculty.
A qualified Outside Reader for each Ph.D. dissertation, who shall be from outside the Department.

Program Requirements:

Credit Hours
A total of at least 72 credit hours are required for the Ph.D. degree. Of this total, at least 25 credit hours must be earned in formal didactic coursework, as well as 4 credit hours in Seminar; excluded are Research, Thesis Guidance, Supervised Teaching, and (unless receiving a priori approval under special circumstances) Independent Study courses. Where appropriate, didactic course credits not exceeding 12 hours in toto may be transferred from other graduate programs.

Required Courses
For students entering the Biophysical Sciences program from the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, the following courses are required:
From the department of biophysics, the following are required:

Year	Course#	Course	Credits
	BPH 505	Biophysical Basics: Processes	3
	BPH 510	Systems Biophysics and Modeling	3
	BPH 601/2	Seminar (four semesters)	4
	BPH xxx	Biophysics Electives	6

For students accepted directly into the Program
the following courses are required:

Year/Sem	Course#	Course	Credits
	BPH 505	Biophysical Basics: Processes	3
	BPH 510	Systems Biophysics and Modeling	3
	BPH xxx	Biophysics Electives	6
	BPH xxx	511/12 Biophysical Techniques	2
		Unrestricted Electives (Didactic)	12
	BPH 601/2	Seminar (four semesters)	4

Qualified students may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for waiver of the requirement for any specific course upon the basis of the completion of an equivalent course with a grade of B or higher.

BPH Electives Inlcudes, but not limited to:

Course#	Course	Credits
BMS 501	Cell Biology I	4
BMS 505	Cell Biology	2
BMS 506	Cell Biology	2
BMS 520	Neuroscience
BPH/R 501	Biosurface. Contact Phenomena.
BPH/R 522	Image Form & Proc
BMS 503	Struct & Funct
BPH/R 503	Molecular Biophysics
BPR 525	Radiation Biology
BMS 509 BMS 510	Lab Rotation
PGY 509	Neurobiology
BPH 510	Systems Biophysics and Modeling 3
BPH/ PGY 514	Vision
MAE 578	Cardiovascular Biomechanics
PGY 611	Neurobiology Colloquium
BPH 632	Membranes
BPH 633	Ion Channels

Seminar:
Doctoral students are required to register for credit in Seminar for at least 4 semesters. In addition, attendance at the departmental seminar series is expected of all students throughout the duration of their graduate programs. During this period, each student is expected to present at least one seminar.
Candidacy
Advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree requires the completion of all programmatic course requirements, and satisfaction of the preliminary examination requirements, as detailed in the following section, including the successful oral defense.
Preliminary Examination:
The preliminary examination for the Ph.D. in Biophysical Sciences consists of the preparation of an independent written research proposals and an oral defense. The proposal topic is chosen by the student, with the restriction that it must address a research topic that is substantially different from the thesis project.. The proposal is normally prepared in the form of a research grant application; as an alternative, however, a paper authored by the student and accepted for publication in an appropriate journal may be substituted. In any case, the choice of topic should be approved beforehand by the Director of Graduate Studies. The research proposal and its oral defense should be completed by the beginning of the student's fifth semester in residence.

The research proposal should present compelling evidence of the scientific soundness and feasibility of the proposed research. Upon completion, the proposal is submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. If found to be appropriate with respect to topic, format, and technical production, the proposal will then be submitted to a faculty review committee, consisting of at least three Department faculty, for scientific evaluation. Should the review committee find the written proposal unacceptable, it will be returned to the student with comments for revision. No more than two such revisions will be accepted.

Following approval of the written document, an oral defense of the proposal before the same review committee will be scheduled. Questions posed by the reviewers, while directed primarily toward the proposal, will also explore the student's mastery of basic concepts related to the topic of the proposal.

Should the oral presentation be found to be inadequate, the committee will inform the student of the areas of weakness. A second defense will be scheduled after a period of time appropriate to the deficit. Failure of the second defense is grounds for dismissal from the program. Failure to successfully prepare and defend a proposal, within the limitations of these policies and time schedule, may be grounds for dismissal from the graduate program.
Dissertation Research, Preparation, and Review:
The dissertation research is conducted by the graduate student under the tutelage of the Major Professor and Dissertation Committee, who critically monitor and supervise preparation of the dissertation. During the course of the dissertation project the student will hold semi-annual meetings with the Dissertation Committee. These meetings will serve to provide a progress report to the committee. The oral defense of dissertation is scheduled after the candidate's Dissertation Committee, the Department, and the Outside Reader have approved the dissertation. The research represented by the dissertation is presented in a seminar prior to the formal oral defense.

The thesis research is conducted by the graduate student under the tutelage of his/her Major Professor and Thesis Committee.

Thesis preparation is critically monitored and supervised by the Major Professor and the Thesis Committee, both of whom must approve the thesis prior to the oral defense.

The oral defense of thesis is scheduled after the candidate's Thesis Committee, the Department and the Outside Reader have approved the thesis. The thesis is presented to the Graduate Faculty in a seminar followed by an oral defense.
Grading and Promotion Standards
The Department requires a grade of at least 'B' in all required course work. Failure to meet this standard may result in academic probation. An occasional grade of 'C' in a non-required course is acceptable provided that it represents passing performance in the view of the department which offers it.