Graduate Studies
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science involving the application of the methods and ideas of physics to the study of biological systems. It spans biological scales from quantum-mechanical descriptions of enzyme catalysis for instance to musculoskeletal models of kinesiology to global environmental analyses. Building on Caltech's rich history and deep present expertise in both physics and biology, the Biophysics track offers students rigorous education in the fundamentals as well as world-class research opportunities. Strong investments in instrumentation have, for instance, given Caltech faculty and students access to the dedicated Caltech/Stanford X-ray beamline at SLAC, state-of-the-art cryoelectron microscopes and a suite of MRI systems, among other systems. Faculty from multiple Divisions offer a broad range of research opportunities to interested students.
Sample Courses
- Ch 6. Physical and biophysical chemistry laboratory
- Ch 7. Advanced experimental methods in bioorganic chemistry
- Ch 25. Introduction to biophysical chemistry: thermodynamics
- Ch 122. Structure determination by X-ray crystallography
- Ch 125. Elements of quantum chemistry
- Ch 144. Advanced organic chemistry
- Ch 145. Bioorganic chemistry of proteins
- Ch 146. Bioorganic chemistry of nucleic acids
- BMB/Bi/Ch 170. Biochemistry and biophysics of macromolecules and molecular assemblies
- BMB/Bi/Ch 174. Biophysical chemistry
- Bi/BE 177. Principles of modern microscopy
- BE/CS/CNS/Bi 191. Biomolecular computation
- Ch 212. Bioinorganic chemistry
- Bi/BE 227. Methods in modern microscopy
- Bi 250 b. Topics in systems biology
- Ch/Bi 253. Advanced topics in biochemistry
- BMB 278. Fundamentals of molecular genetics
Application for the Biology PhD Option and any of the tracks is through the Caltech Graduate Studies Office.
