Overview of CBIP

The nature of research in the natural and physical science disciplines has become highly interdisciplinary and collaborative. Consequently, there is an urgent need to provide interdisciplinary education and training so that students will be prepared for modern careers in academics, research, and/or industry. The Chemical Biology Interdisciplinary Program (CBIP) was established to fulfill this mission by providing a pathway to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in existing academic Departments with training that crosses traditional disciplines of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Physics, and Computer Science. Faculty members of CBIP will design curricula that reflect the advances of modern science and technology and benefit student education and training by allowing student participation in classes and research in more than one department.

CBIP provides mentoring, a curriculum that is interdisciplinary in nature and flexible in design, and a state-of-the-art training environment. The students admitted to the program are encouraged to pursue studies in the interdisciplinary fields represented in Chemical Biology via personally customized curricula derived from their chosen major field of study. The CBIP students and faculty will benefit from seminar series, meetings and conferences, social and academic functions and interactions, and an annual retreat.


The goal of the program is to facilitate the production of high-quality and highly-competitive M.S. and Ph.D. scientists with knowledge, training, and experience in interdisciplinary research.


A1. Sample Research Areas of Focused Study Enabled by this Program
Biomaterials, Bio-organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Computational Chemistry/Biochemistry, Genomics, Membrane Biophysics, Molecular Biophysics, Nano-Biotechnology, Proteomics, Structural Biology, Structure-Aided Drug Design, Synthetic Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Sensing.


A2. Student Body
Students applying to the program must have undergraduate or graduate degrees in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics or a related area and be interested in graduate training in a combination of these areas. The Admissions/Advisory Committee will ensure that the student body will be diverse in both educational and research interests.


A3. Benefits of the Program                                                                                                  TOP
Students will benefit from a highly flexible, custom-designed interdisciplinary curriculum that offers the following opportunities:

• Choice of Major Advisor and Thesis Committee from professors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Biology who are engaged in interdisciplinary research.
• Custom-designed curriculum (in consultation with the Admissions/Advisory Committee and Major Advisor) centered on a small core of courses in the major area of study, complemented by a selection of courses from the full array of those offered by the participating Departments.
• Courses offered at area institutions (e.g., Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and University of Texas Health Science Center) may be taken for credit at UH with prior approval from the Admissions/Advisory Committee.
• A seminar series dedicated to interdisciplinary topics.
• Close relationship of the CBIP Program with local technology and biotechnology industries.
• An annual retreat and colloquium where Program participants will present their research.
• Students admitted to the Program are guaranteed support via a Graduate Assistantship for their first year of graduate study, allowing them to focus on academic rather than teaching responsibilities.

Click here to download full program document                                                                  TOP