Jacobs School building looking towards downtown.

Opportunity Starts Here.

The PPBS Difference

Innovative interdisciplinary curriculum, student-focused mentoring and professional development, and cutting-edge research facilities — these are just a few of the PPBS attributes that ensure our students are prepared to be leaders and agents of change in the many career paths that biomedicine has to offer.

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Postdoc and PhD student in lab.

Experience a Multidisciplinary Way of Thinking

See how our interdisciplinary approach can prepare you for the future of science and medicine.

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PhD student in lab.

Put Your Passion Into Practice

Our well-structured interdisciplinary curriculum gives you the opportunity to participate in a spectrum of state-of-the-art research with accomplished UB faculty.

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PhD student with PI.

Individual Approach, Individual Attention

Graduate students benefit from a training structure where answers to scientific questions are provided by faculty from a variety of disciplines and scientific fields. 

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Faces & Voices
“UB taught me to look past the educational setting and learn what I need to do to become a better professional and independent researcher.”
4/23/21

Mohamed Sharif
Doctoral candidate in biochemistry

“The Jacobs School has been a great fit for me. It’s been a great learning experience.”
4/23/21

Steven A. Lewis
Doctoral student in computational cell biology, anatomy and pathology

“The diversity of research and all the opportunities I’d have stood out to me with the Jacobs School.”
6/11/25

Katherine Sortino
Doctoral student in microbiology and immunology

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How It Works

The PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PPBS) allows you to experience different fields of research and laboratories before selecting a specialty area.

This fully-funded program provides an entry portal and a common first-year curriculum, equipping you with core knowledge and concepts to support your pursuit of a doctoral degree in one of our several participating disciplines.

Program options

  • Biochemistry
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Informatics
  • Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Neuroscience
  • Oral Biology
  • Pathology and Anatomical Sciences
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Physiology and Biophysics
  • Structural Biology

Want to Apply Directly?

If you have a strong background or interest in one of these programs, you can apply directly through the department.

All programs except Medical Physics also participate in the PPBS. If you want to explore different disciplines (including these options) before selecting one for your doctoral research, apply through the PPBS.

Program options

Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Informatics
Computational Cell Biology, Anatomy and Pathology
Medical Physics*

*Not available through PPBS

Research Areas

With 17 areas of research, we’re sure you’ll discover your next home with us.

  • Structural Biology and Protein Science
    10/12/21
    The study of structural biology and protein science aims to investigate biomedical processes and diseases from the perspective of biological macromolecules with a goal of understanding how protein sequence and structure relate to biological and biochemical function in important cellular processes. 
  • Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
    10/12/21
    The study of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and cognition. This is a multimodal scientific discipline that uses animal and human techniques to study the neural substrates of behavior and cognition in health and disease.
  • Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
    2/2/22
    This area of research has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine by providing the building blocks for tissue regeneration. Successful translation of stem cell breakthroughs into cell therapies requires interdisciplinary approaches that draw from biology, medicine and bioengineering.
  • Cancer Biology
    8/1/23
    The study of cancer biology includes the study of a variety of aspects of oncogenesis and cancer treatment, including the study of tumor formation, growth and metastasis, as well as the development of cancer therapeutics.
  • Pharmacology and Addiction
    10/12/21
    This area of research includes the study of drug discovery, toxicology and endocrinology, and it also includes the interaction of drugs with targets, cells, tissues, as well as the metabolic and physiologic responses of the organism to these interactions. 
  • Genomics
    9/11/23
    This research area uses comprehensive and specialized studies that integrate genome-wide approaches and genetic models to answer important questions about development and human disease.
  • Microbial Pathogenesis
    2/10/22
    Experts in microbial pathogenesis use cutting-edge techniques in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry and bioinformatics to study how bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi are able to engage with their host and cause disease. Researchers in this field study ways to identify novel targets for life-saving therapies.
  • Immunology and Inflammation
    2/10/22
    The study of immunology and inflammation involves the latest genetic, biochemical and imaging tools in conjunction with -omics approaches to investigate the function of the immune system, its regulation and the pathological consequences of dysregulation due to mutation, infectious or autoimmune disease, as well as aging.
  • Physiology and Pathophysiology
    10/12/21
    Researchers in these disciplines study how cells, tissues and organs of the body communicate and work together to maintain the body’s functional capacities in health and disease, using state-of-the-art computational, genomic, proteomic, cell biological and physiological techniques. These research areas provide fundamental insights that form the foundations of health care (translational research).
  • Biomedical Informatics
    10/12/21
    This is the interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving and decision making, motivated by efforts to improve human health.
  • Computational Cell Biology, Anatomy and Pathology
    10/12/21
    Our faculty members who specialize in computational cell biology, anatomy and pathology employ a wide variety of genetic, cellular, molecular and state of the art computational imaging techniques to examine biological structures of cells, tissues and organisms in human biomedicine.
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
    10/12/21
    This area of research studies the cellular processes of neurons and glia at a molecular level to seek an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie communication in the nervous system. This broad field employs a multidisciplinary approach to study nervous system development and function.
  • Biochemistry, Cellular Biology and Molecular Biology
    2/2/22
    This research area explores the foundation of biological processes and normal and abnormal states at the cellular and subcellular level using biochemical, molecular and genetic techniques.
  • Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
    9/11/23
    The common theme for this research area is the primary use of computational approaches, including computer science, information engineering, mathematics, and statistics, to analyze and interpret biological data and to understand important biological and biomedical systems.
  • Neurobiology of Disease
    10/12/21
    Researchers who study the neurobiology of disease focus on the neural systems, cells and molecules involved in neurological diseases including neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disease, as well as traumatic injury to the nervous system. This discipline seeks to understand the mechanisms of these diseases in order to develop new therapies. 
  • Biophysics
    10/12/21
    Our biophysics researchers blend the skills of physics, chemistry, math, structural biology and engineering to address health issues in the biomedical sciences. It is based on the premise that quantitative techniques provide unique and fundamental insights that advance scientific discovery.
  • Biomedical Engineering
    11/9/21
    Researchers in this field use engineering problem-solving skills to develop new approaches and devices to improve human health. 
Faces & Voices
“We’re merging the general knowledge of biology and biochemistry with engineering and artificial intelligence to study disease in a whole new way for the future of medicine.”
4/23/21

Briana Santo
Doctoral student in computational cell biology, anatomy and pathology

“The training you receive as a graduate student in microbiology and immunology is vigorous and sets you up to be a great scientist.”
4/23/21

Essi Tchalla
Doctoral student in microbiology and immunology

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