Doctoral Program

Introduction

The doctoral program at the Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) permits students to undertake cutting edge research in the fields of Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience, Bioimaging, Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Microbial physiology, Genomics, Environmental Biotechnology, Chemical Biology, Structural Biology, Protein Engineering, Centrosome Biology, Immunology, Statistical Genetics, Biomaterials Engineering, Tissue Engineering, Nanomedicine, and Drug Delivery. The doctoral program constitutes the major pillar of the department research in strengthening the journey towards technological solutions healthcare, water, food, and environment. The department strongly encourages interdisciplinary research in the interface of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Engineering.

Objectives of the program

The key objectives of the program are:

To unravel the basic functioning of biological systems through cellular and Molecular Biology (Neuroscience).
To identify novel methods for early diagnosis, novel drugs, and personalized treatments.
Developing tools and algorithms for biological data management & Drawing epigenetic inferences through the statistical genetics approach.
To develop smart biomaterials and nanomaterials, nanotheranostics, drug delivery, tissue engineering, sensor platforms for applications in healthcare.
To develop processes for bioenergy and bioremediation.

Expected graduate attributes

Graduates will

Be able to think critically and solve problems that are necessary for employment in biomedical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical industries, national research labs, and academic institutions at the global level.
Develop a sense of ownership on the national missions for technology development, which will cater to societal needs in the area of healthcare, energy, food, environment.
Be exceptionally well trained in the laboratory enabling them to conduct high-quality, reproducible research.
Be able to read, understand, and review intellectual property documents and recognize their rights.
Be able to express their research ideas and present their data clearly in written and spoken format.
Develop a strong work ethic and understand ethical considerations in biological research, which are both necessary for high-quality research.
Develop healthy time management skills to plan and manage laboratory work as well as other miscellaneous research-associated demands on their time to effectively meet deadlines.

Learning outcomes

Graduates will

Be introduced to cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research areas like cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Novel drug development, Bio-Imaging, Systems & Synthetic Biology, Bioelectrochemical systems, bioenergy systems, and Biomaterials Engineering, Nanomedicine, protein engineering, Chemical Biology, Microbiology, Structural Biology.
Be exposed to common problems that are prevalent in the domains of affordable healthcare/energy/water/environment.
Receive effective, hands-on laboratory training as a part of laboratory courses and short-term research projects that are designed to teach research methodology and common lab techniques.
Be introduced to Patents and other intellectual property documents, the rights that they grant, and necessary considerations while filing patents/technology that is protected by patents.
Develop their research communication skills by participating in seminars, journal clubs; manuscript writing, and research grant writing workshops.
Receive training on building a work ethic by being a part of research groups working towards a common goal. Graduates will also appreciate the ethical and safety considerations while conducting biomedical research.
Be taught how to prioritize items on their schedule and how to budget time across the spectrum of activities including research and other necessary tasks.