Program Announcement
Boise State to Offer New Doctoral Program in Biomolecular Sciences
In August 2012, graduate students who wish to pursue a doctoral degree in biomolecular sciences will not have to look beyond Boise State. The Idaho State Board of Education has approved the formation of a new interdisciplinary doctoral program in biomolecular sciences that is research intensive and will prepare graduates to satisfy the needs of a growing biotechnology and medical community in a 21st-century world. The program is expected to initially enroll approximately eight students, but will grow to about 30 in three years.
The new Ph.D. is research-focused and offer students the opportunity to combine studies from traditional science disciplines to solve important cross-cutting problems at the interface of contemporary fields in biomolecular sciences. Students will be taught cooperatively by faculty from three departments in the College of Arts and Sciences: biological sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, and physics. Candidates can also interact with faculty in a number of other fields including materials science, engineering, kinesiology, mathematics, and computer science, and work on a variety of interdisciplinary research projects aimed at understanding or improving treatments for cancer, immune disorders, vaccine development, regenerative medicine, neurological disease, biofuels, biosensors, antimicrobial coatings and treatments, biotechnology devices, and development of nanotechnology-enabled products.
One of the core missions of Boise State is to bring a higher level of education and research accomplishments to Idaho and this new interdisciplinary doctoral program is a major step forward in that quest,” said Boise State President Bob Kustra. “It will produce uniquely trained graduates who possess the skills and knowledge of the latest methodologies and discoveries in the field. It also will foster collaborative research that federal and other granting agencies favor.”
The establishment of this degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences will prepare graduates to satisfy the nation’s growing need for research in biomedical and biotechnology areas, and is designed to train scientists to work as part of an interdisciplinary team to address challenges of global importance. The university has made substantial investments in preparation of the program. More than $10 million has been invested in the creation of facilities that support biomolecular research and the National Institutes of Health has awarded a $4 million grant toward new labs.