The Jenkins Biophysics Program is designed for students interested in obtaining a doctorate in biophysics. Students joining this program carry out their doctoral research with a faculty member in the Department of Biophysics. This program is financially supported through departmental funds, and therefore can support international students who are ineligible for NIH training grants.
Admission Requirements
The annual application deadline is December 1.
Please see the Biophysics website for requirements and how to apply to the Jenkins program.
Program Requirements
The following courses are required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.250.610 | Savvy Science Seminars I * | 1 |
| AS.250.611 | Savvy Science Seminars II * | 1 |
| AS.250.615 | Biophysics Writing Workshop | 1 |
| AS.250.620 | Optical Spectroscopy | 2 |
| AS.250.621 | Cryo-EM Module | 1 |
| AS.250.622 | Statistics and Data Analysis | 1 |
| AS.250.623 | Macromolecular Simulation | 1 |
| AS.250.624 | NMR Spectroscopy | 1 |
| AS.250.625 | Single Molecule Measurements | 1 |
| AS.250.640 | How to be an Effective STEM JEDI * | 1 |
| AS.250.649 | Introduction to Computing in Biology | 2 |
| AS.250.685 | Proteins & Nucleic Acids | 3 |
| AS.250.689 | Physical Chemistry of Biological Macromolecules | 3 |
- *
STEM JEDI and Savvy Seminars courses open only to Jenkins and PMB graduate students.
In addition to classes, students are required to attend seminars given by outside speakers invited by the Biophysics Department, given on a weekly basis. Meeting and hearing about the work of others provides an excellent opportunity to observe different styles of communicating science, learn about career paths of others, and of course find out what key scientific questions are being pursued in different fields.
Teaching experience is regarded as an important part of the Jenkins Biophysics graduate program. As such, Jenkins students are required to TA during their program. The TAs provide essential help in running laboratory and computer-based undergraduate course. More details are available in the handbook
After being admitted to the program, students must pass a Graduate Board Oral (GBO) exam to continue their dissertation research at Johns Hopkins University. This exam is traditionally taken in the spring of the second year. The exam committee consists of five faculty members, and the student provides oral answers. While generally focused on biophysics, questions can also extend to topics in biology, chemistry, and physics. Students who feel they may lack a strong background in certain areas are encouraged to improve their knowledge by taking elective classes and self-study during the first two years.