Life Sciences PhD & Graduate Programs

Researching Life Sciences PhD Graduate Programs?

Recent NIH rankings show that Emory is 19th in the nation for NIH grants. In 2005 Emory had a total of over $351 million in sponsored research funding. Emory University is one of the major biological research and medical referral centers in the Southeast. The state-of-the-art instrumentation that is needed to study virtually any aspect of modern biology and medicine is found on the Emory campus.

Excellent research facilities are available, including the Biomolecular Computing Resource Facility, Transgenic Mouse Facility, Microchemical Facility, and the Vaccine Research Center. Additional facilities for high-resolution structural biology, proteomics, microscopy, DNA Array Analysis, and the production of monoclonal antibodies are also housed on the Emory campus.

Emory University is unique among research institutions in that both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society are adjacent to campus. This gives students a unique opportunity to work with CDC and ACS researchers who are affiliated with one of our Programs.

Research Leadership

Gilead Sciences and Royalty Pharma have announced an agreement with Emory University to purchase the royalty interests for Emtricitabine, a leading anti-HIV/AIDS compound. The companies will make a one-time cash payment of $525 million to Emory University. Dr. Dennis Liotta, one of the three researchers credited with discovering Emtricitabine, is a Division faculty member in the Molecular and Systems Pharmacology Program. This is believed to be the largest single sale of intellectual property in the history of American higher education (Emory Press Release).

Dr. Kenneth Bernstein received the 2005 Novartis Award from the American Heart Association and Dr. David Harrison received the 2004 Novartis Award.  It is an extraordinary accomplishment for Emory faculty to have received this award for two years in a row, and it is an honor that has never been duplicated by any other academic center.

Life Sciences PhD Graduate Programs

Research Funding

From 1996 to 2000 Emory's School of Medicine achieved the fastest rate of growth in terms of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding (19% per year) of any school in the nation. Emory has risen in rank from 31st in the country to 19th (fiscal year 2005) among schools that receive NIH research dollars.  Emory has continued its rapid growth in research funding for a total of over $346 million in sponsored research funding for 2005.  Of the specific departments for which NIH provides data, several Division departments rank very highly:  Microbiology/Immunology ranks 7th in the nation, Neurology ranks 11th, Pharmacology ranks 11th, Physiology ranks 23rd, Genetics ranks 22nd and Cell Biology ranks 25th.

Students

The Division has nearly 400 students in various stages of graduate training.  Last year our students were primary or co-authors on more than 200 research papers or abstracts.  In addition to providing students with the skills essential for their growth as research scientists, the Division faculty also provide support and guidance in their roles as mentors.  Consequently, our graduate students are very satisfied with their graduate programs.  The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS) conducted a national survey of graduate students to assess their satisfaction with their Programs, and four of the Division Programs were ranked (a minimum of ten responses was required to be ranked).