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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

About the BMB PhD Program

A School of Public Health might seem like an odd place to get a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

But our unique position at the intersection of basic biology, public health and medicine brings a wealth of opportunities not found elsewhere. 

For over a hundred years, our department has focused on understanding biology at the level of cells, molecules, and chemical structures, and how changes at those scales impact human health and disease. We are highly collaborative, with connections to programs and faculty within the School of Public Health, and in the Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and beyond, that allow us to connect health and biology from individual molecules to millions of individuals.

The BMB PhD program is centered in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, a supportive community of faculty, students, postdocs, and staff. Much of the training outside the lab, from classes to activities like opportunities to present at our colloquium and professional development training, happens within the department. 

Lab research is at the core of our PhD program. To conduct their thesis research, students can chose to join one of the labs in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, or one of nearly 30 additional labs from across Johns Hopkins University, most at the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. 

A Rich History

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has been training doctoral students for over 100 years, starting back when we were the Chemical Hygiene Department, a founding department of the School of Public Health. We’ve had many research interests, from nutrition to DNA replication to cancer biology. Since 1975, a portion of our program’s training of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows has been supported by a training grant from the National Cancer Institute. 

To a Vibrant Present

In the years since our founding our name and the research techniques we use have changed, but our focus has not: our program continues to advance our traditions of excellent training and cutting-edge research that uncovers the fundamental biological processes relevant to health and disease.

Some of our research interests have continued – for example, we have a particular emphasis on mechanistic approaches to research problems, and cancer biology continues to have a prominent place in our research interests. Others have evolved: vitamin nutrition studies may be in the past, but the role of metabolism is a current area of research. Visit our program scope to learn more.

BMB is a collaborative, supportive, and diverse environment, where students can flourish. We strive to provide effective teaching and mentoring to let our students excel in a challenging and intellectually stimulating environment, with a focus on rigor and integrity.

Our Faculty

Our faculty work to train highly qualified scientists who—through research, teaching and service—continue to provide new insights into the biomedical issues that have a profound impact on public health.

Once a student picks a lab for their thesis research, they work together with their faculty advisor to develop research plans that advance our knowledge of the biochemical and molecular bases of normal and abnormal cellular processes. 

We have over 40 faculty in the program – visit our faculty page for a snapshot of each of them and links to their profiles, or follow the links to find them grouped by common research themes.  

Message from the Chair

As a founding department of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, we have provided a first-rate training experience for doctoral students for over a century. We hope you’ll consider joining us as we continue that tradition.

With over 40 training faculty affiliated with the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the School of Medicine, our program offers an optimal balance between a close-knit and supportive community and a broad range of exciting opportunities for PhD thesis research. Check out our faculty profiles and you’ll see a broad range of research interests, but with recurring themes of great significance such as stress response biology, cancer biology, aging, genome integrity, protein homeostasis and regulation though post-translational modifications, immunology, and metabolism.

Our students engage in a rigorous course curriculum as well as a plethora of activities, structured and informal, that prepare them to become the leading researchers of tomorrow. All inquiries about our program are welcomed!

BMB embraces a culture of inclusion, integrity, diversity and equity, and we aim to create a safe space for our trainees, so they can focus on their science and education.  We are excited to be part of the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative, a Johns Hopkins fellowship program for PhD students in STEM fields, providing full support and targeted mentoring, networking, community, and professional development opportunities for students who attended a Historically Black College or University or other Minority Serving Institutions. Find out about the program, and other application information, on our academic program page.

On behalf of the entire training faculty, I wish you the very best in your journey to become a leader and difference maker in biomedical research.

Warm regards,
Ashi Weeraratna

E.V. McCollum Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, Cancer Biology