Undergraduate Information

There are currently nine faculty members in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. The current chair is Dr. Ishita Mukerji.

The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Major:

The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department offers a comprehensive major program which allows students the possibility of concentrating in any one of the following three areas:

Molecular Biology
Biochemistry
Molecular Biophysics

Research at Wesleyan:

We are a teaching and research department and we encourage our students to participate in the research opportunities offered by the faculty. Independent research in the laboratory of a faculty member is strongly encouraged; it provides the student with an intrinsically valuable learning experience. Many graduate and professional schools specifically recruit candidates with research experience. Research gives students a different view of science and also provides a completely different dimension of experience to the student. By performing research, students are able to interact with graduate students and faculty on a professional level. Research interests of the faculty cover a broad range of topics including control of DNA replication and repair; molecular biology and genetics of cell cycle control in the yeast, S. cerevisiae; mechanism of protein secretion; molecular studies of Lyme disease; genome organization and regulation of gene expression; regulation of RNA and protein synthesis in sea urchin embryos; molecular responses to oxidative and heavy metal stresses; and protein-nucleic acid interactions and the structural dynamics of nucleic acids and proteins.  Summer research for Wesleyan undergraduates is supported by funding from the Hughes Program in the Life Sciences.

Research Seminars: The Molecular Biology and Biology Departments sponsors a weekly seminar series where distinguished scientists from other institutions present their current research. A seminar is held every Thursday at 12:00 Noon. To become better acquainted with the faculty as well as current biological research, undergraduate students are encouraged to attend each week.