Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

You can realize your scientific aspirations in an academic program that strives to train its graduates —future biochemists and molecular biologists— to think at the highest scientific level and contribute to breakthroughs that will battle disease and save lives.

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major at Wright State is a new program populated by highly skilled, energetic research faculty, so you can expect the most current and best practices in science education and laboratory research.

You will be engaged by our program’s active learning, student-centered teaching strategies. We will encourage your holistic development through the generation of learning portfolios, one-on-one faculty engagement, and hands-on research opportunities. Our faculty and your student colleagues will help increase your academic knowledge content, enhance your social and teamwork skills, and give you valuable research- and nonresearch-related growth experiences.

While in the program, you will engage with students of similar interests from diverse backgrounds. Attend seminars by outstanding visiting scientists, participate in laboratory meetings and advanced coursework, and immerse yourself in meaningful, exciting research opportunities with professors who will introduce you to the cutting edge of science. By graduation, you will have acquired the confidence to be a scientist and work in science-related or biomedical fields.

If you plan to pursue pre-med or other pre-health studies, Wright State’s Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major will offer a strong foundation for that career path. Your preparation will include instruction from faculty in both the College of Science and Mathematics and the Boonshoft School of Medicine, as well as shared experiences with your student peers and graduate student mentors.

If you choose to continue training in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology when you have completed your B.S., you will be equipped to continue with an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology followed by a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences — all at Wright State.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Wright State is in the process of obtaining national accreditation from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Come join us — our science is very cool!

Degrees

Careers

Check out jobs and places where our graduates have been recently employed

Curriculum

Our academic programs include unique course offerings, including:

Biochemistry and molecular biology lab
Research ethics
Scientific communications
External lecturer seminar
Careers in biochemistry and molecular biology

Areas of Research

Blood cells, normal and leukemic
Cancer biology
Cell biology
Cell signaling
Cell/tissue imaging
DNA replication and repair
Genomics
Gene characterization
Gene regulation
Homeostasis
Host-microbial/pathogen interactions
Intestinal bacteria

Lipid metabolism
Metabolomics/metabolism
Microbiology
Microbiome
Mitophagy
Molecular genetics
Nuclear receptors
Protein biochemistry
Protein structure and dynamics
Retinal cell biology
Riboswitches
Signal transduction

Research Faculty, Topics, and Techniques

Research Facilities

Student highlights

Taylor Miller

Former Wright State student Taylor Miller’s important breast cancer research earned her a 2017 Graduate Student Excellence Award. Her research focused on the role of Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) in the degradation of Phospholipase D (PLD) in breast cancer cells. Miller's work has contributed to a better understanding of how the downregulation of PARN in breast cancer cells allows for an increase in PLD, which contributes to certain breast cancer phenotypes. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Wright State in 2015 and master’s degree in 2017. Miller was able to fund her continued studies, in part, by having received a Graduate Council Scholarship, Graduate Tuition Scholarship, and Professional Development Grant.

Andrew J. Stacy

Andrew J. Stacy is a 2nd year doctoral student in BMB. His research focuses on p63, a member of the p53 family which is dysregulated in non-melanoma skin cancer. He is investigating the regulation of p63 by the histone acetyltransferase TIP60, itself a known regulator of the cellular response to DNA damage. His research has improved our understanding of the complex role that p63 plays in cell proliferation, the response to DNA damage, and tumor chemoresistance. He has presented his work at AACR and the international p63/p73 conference and received the top oral presentation award for his work at the Wright State Celebration of Research forum.