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Ph.D. Program in Biology

Graduate students at research poster session

Why apply to Clark Biology’s doctoral program?

With a breadth of research areas, Clark’s biology doctoral program provides opportunities and flexibility to pursue research that benefits our understanding of the world within a connected community of scholars. Our research areas include molecular and cell biology, and ecology and evolution.

The program’s intimate size allows graduate students to collaborate, build relationships with and receive mentoring from world-class faculty.  Close ties across the sciences, including with those enrolled in our biochemistry and molecular biology and chemistry doctoral programs, exposes students to a range of ideas and research outside their interest areas.  Graduate students are guaranteed tuition remission and teaching assistantships for five years.

Our close-knit, curious community

The biology doctoral program seeks students with strong scientific curiosity, prior independent research experience and the ability to persevere.

Graduate students are integral to collaboration on research with faculty members in their labs and with fellow graduate students and undergraduates. These opportunities allow students to benefit from our faculty’s expertise while gaining experience mentoring and teaching. The close-knit community of students in biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and chemistry builds collaboration across disciplines both in the lab and in the field, which has led to exciting research.

Meet Our Faculty           Meet Our Graduate Students

Key Details

Our objective is to train graduate students to become independent researchers and academic leaders. Our research areas include molecular and cell biology, ecology and evolution, and biochemistry. Our areas of specialization are in these faculty research areas listed in the right column.

  • Microbial ecology and evolution
  • Evolution of behavior, morphology, and life history in stickleback fish
  • Evolution and diversification of functional morphological systems
  • Epigenetics and gene regulation
  • Fungal biology and systematics
  • Fungal comparative genomics and population genetics
  • Cytokinesis
  • Evolution and development of nervous systems
  • Chemical ecology and social ecology of insects
  • Marine algal physiology and molecular evolution
  • Drosophila genetics and development
  • Plant-microbe interactions

Explore the Department of Biology’s courses.

PhD and undergraduate students conducting tests with professor at Walden Pond

Graduate Research

Biology graduate students pursue their course needs and research interests with supportive confidence among faculty recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and other organizations.

Lasry Center

Research Facilities

Clark biology’s explorations begin in the state-of-the-art Lasry Center for Bioscience, a 50,000-square-foot space that received a Gold certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Mitosis - cell division of bacteria

Alumni Careers

Within three years of graduating, most alumni have obtained research- or management-related positions in higher education, government, or non-profit research or policy institutes.

Contact Information

Department of Biology

Office Location
  • The Lasry Center for Bioscience
    15 Maywood Street
    Worcester, MA 01610

  • 1-508-793-7173
  • 1-508-793-7174 Fax