About Us

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology studies how biomolecules operate and interact to drive the complex and diverse behaviors of living systems. Our research encompasses all areas of modern biochemistry, including structural biology, biophysics, biomolecular engineering and design, and evolution.

As our interests continue to expand and adapt to new frontiers, we are looking for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to join us in our pioneering work. Members of the department ask broad and multifaceted questions. As a result, our trainees are well equipped for future academic and industrial careers in biochemistry and biophysics.

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Facilities

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is located in the Ellen and Melvin Gordon Center for Integrative Science, which was completed in 2005. The Gordon Center is home to faculty in the biological and physical sciences, generating a truly interdisciplinary research environment. Also housed in the Gordon Center are the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Ben May Cancer Research Institute, the James Franck Institute, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and the Department of Chemistry.

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Affiliates

Located 45 minutes from the Hyde Park campus, the Advanced Photon Source is among the most powerful and versatile X-ray sources worldwide. Our department benefits from proximity and close ties to the APS, since synchrotron radiation is a key resource for modern structural biology. Rama Ranganathan is the new Director of the BioCARS facility, which maintains 3 X-ray beamlines for time-resolved and time- averaged X-ray crystallography.

Krios electron microscope

Core Facilities

The Biological Sciences Division and the University maintain a set of state-of-the-art core research facilities. Researchers may take advantage of the equipment and technical assistance of the support staff in any of these core areas. Our cryoEM facility is a key strength, and houses Krios and Talos microscopes within a block of the Gordon Center.

The following core services are particularly relevant for BMB research groups: