Intercampus Programs: Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology (PhD) — The Program
The Multicampus Joint Master of Science and PhD Degree in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology (BMEBT) is a cross-disciplinary program designed to link research and graduate education at the Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester campuses of the University of Massachusetts. The BMEBT program exemplifies the advantages of bringing together a broad array of allied disciplines (biology, chemistry, computer science, clinical laboratory science, engineering, physics) that emphasizes the development of new technologies and application of research to contemporary biomedical health problems. The BMEBT program is unique in that it is open to a wide range of baccalaureate degree recipients with engineering, physical science, life science, and related backgrounds, and that it emphasizes a multidisciplinary, team approach in course/seminar presentations, laboratory rotations, and joint projects prior to dissertation topic specialization. Students enrolled in the BMEBT program take a range of courses across the four UMass campuses.
UMass Boston students enrolled in the BMEBT program will choose the Biotechnology Specialization option of the program, because the research strengths of the university relevant to this program are in biotechnology. Students interested in Biomedical Engineering specializations should seek other campuses. Each campus involved in this program has different strengths that will appeal to different subsets of BMEBT students. Students may not submit more than one application to the BMEBT program; students must determine which campus best fits their research interests. Students applying to the BMEBT program at UMass Boston will be encouraged to identify a faculty member performing research that fits well with the student’s interests before admission into the program. BMEBT researchers at UMass Boston integrate basic research in cellular, molecular, and organismal biology of bacteria, plants, invertebrates, and mammals.
Facilities and Resources
The UMass Boston Biology Department’s modern facilities support a broad spectrum of research interests. The well-equipped research laboratories contain facilities for automated DNA sequencing and analysis, electron, light, and fluorescence microscopy, filmless autoradiography and fluorescence imaging, protein analysis and chromatography, electrophysiology, molecular biology, video analysis, and animal care. In addition, ample field equipment, boats, a greenhouse, saltwater tanks, and other support facilities are available for enhancing studies in marine, aquatic, and terrestrial environments. BMEBT researchers at UMass Boston are supported by grant awards from the NSF, NIH, USDA, NOAA, ONR, and National Sea Grant.