Bioinformatics @ UCSF: Multidisciplinary graduate study in biological composition, structure, function and evolution at the molecular and systems levels

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About the Program

• Training Program:
  • Program Overview
  • Core Curriculum
  • Electives
  • Seminars & Journal Club
  • Academic Progression & Procedures
• People:
  • Students
  • Faculty
  • Alumni

• Current Events
• Admission Information
• Links
• Contact

NEWS: UCSF wins HHMI Award for its Integrative Program in Complex Biological Systems

Academic Progression & Procedures

• Selecting a Research Advisor
• BBC Journal Club Requirements
• Second Year Seminar
• Qualifiying Exam
• Advancement to Candidacy & Thesis Progression

Selecting a research advisor is the most critical decision to be made during a student’s graduate career and must be made on a fully informed basis. Students are therefore encouraged to discuss research interests with a variety of faculty in the graduate program and attend not only the Bioinformatics seminar, but also seminars given by Bioinformatics group members in their respective home departments. Discussion of research interests with faculty members should be considered a part of the learning process and an activity that is essential to graduate education.

The research advisor serves as chair of the thesis (dissertation) committee, signs forms regarding a student’s academic status, and provides financial support for each student advisee. The research advisor must be a member of the Academic Senate and a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Group. Students generally select a research advisor by the end of spring quarter of the first year or fall of the second year. Research is expected to begin by fall quarter of the second year.

A Faculty Member’s Perspective

When selecting a research advisor, the first consideration should be the scientific research conducted in his/her laboratory. Are you excited by the science? Have you read the manuscripts coming from the laboratory? However, aside from the science there are other important considerations in selecting an advisor. It is not just the professor who determines the overall environment of a laboratory, but the other graduate students, research scientists, postdocs, technicians, and support staff. Therefore, it is important to talk not just with the professor when choosing an advisor, but with other members of the research group as well. Questions might include (some of them discreet) such issues as the type of project a student might work on, average length of time to graduation, the amount of time the professor spends in the laboratory (or on campus), and the amount of long-term funding available. Are students encouraged to write the research papers? Are they given some leeway to develop projects firsthand? Methods of mentorship will not only vary among professors but may also vary within a single group, depending on the professor’s assessment of an individual student’s needs and skills. This may necessitate a more “over the shoulder” type of approach rather than the other extreme of “benign neglect.” More personal considerations might involve the professor’s attitude towards such issues as working hours, vacations, and time off. Answers to these questions will vary as much as the importance or lack of importance these issues have to any individual graduate student. Once in a while, irreconcilable problems may develop between a student and his advisor, in those instances, a student will be allowed to choose another research advisor.