Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Department

Columbia University's Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Department is located in the Medical Center campus at 701 West 168th street. The departmental community consists of 18 faculty labs housing over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. The relatively small community encourages a close and supportive atmosphere where collaboration between researchers is the norm.

The uniting factor of the labs in the department is a dedication to attacking relevant scientific problems by combining biochemical, molecular, computational, cellular and biophysical approaches. The major biological topics targeted in the department include:

• Developmental Biology,
• Gene Expression, Regulation, and Signal Transduction
• Macromolecular Structure, Function, and Dynamics
• Molecular Neurobiology

The department is equipped with NMR and crystallography facilities, as well as state-of-the-art confocal microscopes for imaging, DNA and protein sequencing equipment and peptide synthesis facilities. Tools for optical spectroscopy include a JASCO circular dichroism spectrophotometer, UV-visible spectrophotometers, and two fluorimeters. In addition, there are advanced computing facilities for computationally expensive tasks.

Note: Columbia undergraduates can major in biochemistry, but through the Biology Department. The Biochemistry Department is a graduate research operation only. But undergraduates interested in getting involved in a lab in the Biochemistry Department are welcome, and should contact the work study office to see about available positions.