Cell and molecular biology is the study of living systems at the level of cells and the molecules that drive their function, covering areas like developmental biology, neurobiology, and molecular genetics. At Tulane, the field is explored through hands-on research training, with a concentrated strength in developmental biology and neuroscience.

Application Requirements

-Applications for Fall 2027 admission into the Cell and Molecular Biology Doctoral Program will be accepted from October 1, 2026 through January 1, 2027. Submit your application using Tulane’s School of Science and Engineering Graduate Application Portal. There is no application fee.

-Applicants should have a strong undergraduate background in the basic biological, chemical, and physical sciences and an enthusiasm for a research career in the biological sciences.

-TOEFL scores are required of students from countries in which English is not the official language. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 on the paper version, 250 on the computer version, or 100 on the Internet-based version is required. The TOEFL institution code for Tulane is 6173; the department code is 35 (Biology).

Cell Ph.D. students are typically admitted for the Fall semester; however, highly qualified applicants may be considered for Spring admission upon request, subject to program capacity and funding availability.

Prior to the start of the first semester in the program, each student meets with the program director to discuss the student's academic background and scientific interests. At this time, the director will make recommendations concerning course requirements, and students enrolled in the Ph.D. program will be assigned a temporary faculty advisor. The faculty advisor will be responsible for advising the student on academic matters such as course selection, laboratory rotations, exams, and teaching requirements, and will monitor the student's progress. The graduate director will also monitor all students’ progress during the first year in the program. Ph.D. students are required to take core courses in molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology and/or neurobiology. They are expected to take additional elective courses tailored to their own interests, which can include courses offered by other departments at the uptown campus and the nearby Tulane Health Sciences Center. Ph.D. students will finish all course work by the end of the second year.

Each graduate student enrolled in the Ph.D. program will undertake two to three 3-month rotations in the laboratories of individual departmental faculty members. If the student and the faculty member agree, the length of the rotations can vary. The goal of these rotations is to allow students to become acquainted with different faculty members, their research problems and methodologies, and to get a feel for the general atmosphere of the different labs. Each student will make a commitment to a particular laboratory, with the approval of the head of the laboratory, by the end of the first year. Once the student selects a laboratory in which he/she will conduct his/her dissertation research, the faculty head of the laboratory will become the student's faculty advisor (dissertation advisor).

During their second year, Ph.D. students name a thesis committee consisting of their advisor and at least three faculty members with whom they will subsequently meet on a regular basis (at least once per year) to ensure that adequate research progress is made. After successful completion of their coursework, students focus exclusively on their research until the submission and defense of a Ph.D. dissertation, which typically occurs after their fourth or fifth year.

Adella Bartoletti, Meadows Lab

Undergraduate Studies: Nicholls State University (2021)

Dissertation topic: Assessing mosaicism and vascular integrity in HHT-AVM mouse models

Garrett Bartoletti, He Lab

Undergraduate Studies: Tulane University (2017), BS, Cell & Molecular Biology, Psychology

Dissertation topic: Investigating the role of Pdgfra in calvaria bone and cartilage development

Publications
Bartoletti G, Dong C, Umar M, He F. Pdgfra regulates multipotent cell differentiation towards chondrocytes via inhibiting Wnt9a/beta-catenin pathway during chondrocranial cartilage development. Dev Bio. 2020. 

Dong C, Umar M, Bartoletti G, Gahankari A, Fidelak L, He F. Expression pattern of Kmt2d in murine craniofacial tissues. Gene Expr Patterns. 2019. 

Gahankari A, Dong C, Bartoletti G, Galazo M, He F. Deregulated Rac1 activity in neural crest controls cell proliferation, migration and differentiation during midbrain development. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021. 

Shreya Bavishi, Meadows Lab

Undergraduate Studies: AMC MET Medical College, Ahmedabad, India (2018)

Publications
Bavishi, S., Chaudhary, D., Li, J., Naik, S., Abedi, V., & Zand, R. (2022). Long-term mortality in ischemic stroke patients with concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 31(11), 106701. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JSTROKECEREBROVASDIS.2022.106701 

Chaudhary, D., Anyaehie, M., Demiraj, F., Bavishi, S., Shahjouei, S., Li, J., Abedi, V., & Zand, R. (2022). Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes and Associated Factors between Younger and Older Rural Ischemic Stroke Patients. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2022, Vol. 11, Page 1430, 11(5), 1430. https://doi.org/10.3390/JCM11051430 

Abedi, V., Avula, V., Razavi, S.-M., Shreya, B., Chaudhary, D., Shahjouei, S., Wang, M., Griessenauer, C. J., Li, J., & Zand, R. (2021). Predicting short and long-term mortality after acute ischemic stroke using EHR. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 427, 117560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2021.117560 

Abbas, K.; Lu, Y.; Bavishi, S.; Mishra, N.; TomThundyil, S.; Sawant, S.A.; Shahjouei, S.; Abedi, V.; Zand, R. A Simple Review of Small Vessel Disease Manifestation in the Brain, Retina, and Kidneys. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 5546. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11195546

Dissertation topic: Developing targeted therapeutics in HHT by elucidating mechanism of AVM development

Kylie Browne, Meadows Lab

Undergraduate Studies: Johns Hopkins University (2018)

Dissertation topic: Characterizing venous malformation formation and behavior in a Pik3ca-mutant murine model; Assessing effects of Pik3ca mutation in arteries versus veins for mechanisms relating to vessel-specific malformation onset; Identifying alternative therapeutic targets for venous malformations.

Curie Chen, Fang Lab

Undergraduate Studies: University of California, Irvine (2022)

Kwame Darkwah (Year 1)

Md. Aminul Islam (Year 2)

Asal Jalal Abadi (Year 2)

Yisu Li, Chen Lab

Qilan Liang, Chen Lab

Undergraduate Studies: Harbin Medical University (2015)

Graduate Studies: Dalian Medical University, MS, 2020; Tulane University, MS 2022

Publications:

1.  Oncogenic AURKA-enhanced N6-methyladenosine modification increases DROSHA mRNA stability to transactivate STC1 in breast cancer stem-like cells. Cell Res. 2021 Mar;31(3):345-361. Peng F*, Xu J*, Cui B*, Liang Q*, Zeng S*, He B, Zou H, Li M, Zhao H, Meng Y, Chen J, Liu B, Lv S, Chu P, An F, Wang Z, Huang J, Zhan Y, Liao Y, Lu J, Xu L, Zhang J, Sun Z, Li Z, Wang F, Lam EW, Liu Q.;

2. Estrogen receptor β upregulated by lncRNA-H19 to promote cancer stem-like properties in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Cell Death Dis. 2018 Nov 2; 9 (11):1120. Mei Li, Hui-Fang Chai, Fei Peng, Yu-Ting Meng, Li-Zhi Zhang, Lin Zhang, Hong Zou, Qi-Lan Liang, Man-Man Li, Kai-Ge Mao, Dong-Xu Sun, Meng-Ying Tong, Zi-Qian Deng, Zhi-Jie Hou, Yi Zhao, Jia Li, Xiao-Chao Wang, Sha-Sha Lv, Qing-Qing Zhang, Xiao Yu, Eric W.-F. Lam, Quentin Liu, Xiao-Nan Cui & Jie Xu 

Edward Looker, Fang Lab

Sandra Offor, Schrader Lab

Undergraduate Studies: Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria (2019) 

Belarsi Ouattara (Year 1)

Graduate Studies: Tulane University, MS, Cell & Molecular Biology (2025)

Anirban Ray, Meadows Lab

Zhaoyang Ren (Year 2)

Most Ayesha Siddika, Galazo Lab

Allie Stegall, Dalva Lab

Taylor Stephens (Year 2)

Saron Tadesse (Year 1)

Kapil Thapa, Fang Lab

Undergraduate Studies: Trichand Multiple Campus, Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal (2021)

Chen-Chuan Wu (Year 2)

Tianhao Wu, Huang Lab

Undergraduate institution: Tulane University (2021)
 
Dissertation topic: Ion channel dysfunction in the auditory synapse of Fragile X mental Retardation

Tianyi Xiao, Huang Lab

Undergraduate institution: Shenzhen University (2017)

Dissertation topic:  Changes in Properties of Auditory Synapses following Conductive Hearing Loss

Qi Zhou, Wang Lab

Undergraduate information: Henan Agriculture University (2014)

Graduate Studies: Tulane University, MS (2021)

Dissertation topics: Senescence and AMD disease.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded to students based on an accumulation of course credits and on superior accomplishments in a field of cell biology, molecular biology, developmental biology and/or neurobiology. A minimum of one year of full-time study in residence at Tulane University is required. The Ph.D. degree must be completed within 7 years from the date of matriculation in the graduate school. Graduate students beyond their 5th year are no longer eligible to receive teaching assistant stipends. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained. If a student receives 2 grades of B- or a single grade below a B-, then he/she is placed on probation and considered for dismissal by the Graduate Dean in consultation with the Department.

To be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D., a student must have completed course requirements and passed a qualifying examination. The qualifying exam, which is taken prior to the end of the 5th semester. The qualifying exam may be postponed to the end of the 5th semester under certain circumstances with the approval of the student’s advisor and thesis committee. By the end of the third year, each student must submit to the graduate school a written research prospectus, which has been presented to and approved by the student's dissertation committee. The recommendation for admission to candidacy is made by the department and must bear the signatures of the department chair and the chair of the dissertation committee.

1. Remedial Courses
Prior to the beginning of the fall semester, every incoming graduate student will meet with the graduate director to discuss the appropriate coursework for the first year. Students are expected to have strong backgrounds in the basic sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics) as well as in genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology. The Committee will determine if any weak areas exist and may require the student to take additional undergraduate courses to rectify any deficiencies. Such course credits will not count towards a higher degree. In addition, individual faculty advisors or the graduate director may recommend that students take other coursework. For foreign students, this may include an English language course.

2. Graduate Core
The graduate core is a group of 3 to 4 courses required of all graduate students. The aim is to provide a basic core of knowledge in the general areas of cell and molecular biology.

1. Students will complete 48 credit hours of course work with at least a 3.0 GPA (FIRM). Credit hours should be complete by the end of second year (4th semester).
2. Core required courses include: Cell Biology CELL 6750, CMB seminar CELL 7860 (Select Ph.D. section), Advanced Molecular Biology (CELL 6440), and a journal club course – either Trends in Neuroscience (NSCI 6040) or Current Topics in Developmental Biology. Students admitted before the fall of 2016 and working in labs of adjunct faculty may attend the seminar series of their PI's home department and a more appropriate journal club if one exists. Seminar summaries should be sent to the graduate program coordinator. Students admitted fall of 2018 and beyond must also take Graduate Communications (CELL 7260) to fulfill core requirements.
3. Students should pass a qualifying exam by the end of the 5th semester. The qualifying exam should consist of an NIH-style R01 grant application up to 12 pages (http://grants.nih.gov/), and an oral defense of that grant. The purpose of the qualifying exam is to test the student's overall knowledge of the subject area and ability to develop hypotheses and design experiments to test the hypothesis. Failure to complete the qualifying exam by the end of the 5th semester or beginning of the 6th semester will result in the student being placed on probation status in the PhD program. Special exceptions will be granted with the approval of the departmental PhD program committee.
4. An ethics course should be taken before the qualifying exam. Courses are offered downtown over the summer and during the school year.
5. Admission to candidacy is granted when 48 credit hours have been completed, the qualifying exam has been passed and the prospectus is successfully completed.
6. Students in their third year and beyond are required to present their research annually in the CMB Seminar Series.
7. Students should pass a prospectus by the end of the student's 4th year (8th semester). The prospectus is the written proposal of the PhD project to be completed for the degree and will constitute an agreement between the student and the committee on the experiments required to obtain the PhD.
8. Annual meetings of the committee to report research progress are required. Meetings should be completed by the end of the spring semester. Annual progress report forms (in CMB office) should be signed by the committee members and given to the CMB office.
9. A formal oral dissertation defense is required to complete the PhD degree (no firm deadline, but before completion of the 7th year).

Neuroscience Track:

• Cellular Neuroscience (CELL 6310) or Graduate Neuroscience (must obtain approval from instructor)
• Developmental Biology Track:
• Developmental Biology (CELL 6160)

All first year students are required to take:

• Current Topics in Developmental Biology (CELL 6840)
• Seminars in Cell and Molecular Biology (CELL 7870)
• Research Rotations (CELL 7110)

Other required courses:

• Cell Biology (CELL 6750)
• Advanced Molecular Biology (CELL 6440)
• Graduate Communications (CELL 7260)

TOEFL Institution Code: 6173; TOEFL Department Code: 35 (Biology).

 No, a GRE score is not required for the application, but it will be considered if submitted.

First- and second-year students will receive teaching assistantships. Students in their third year and above will generally be on research assistantships.

Ph.D. students are usually admitted in the Fall semester, although applications will be considered for the Spring semester upon request.

You do not need to submit test scores to be considered for the program. Specific GPA requirements are not established, as numerous factors are weighed when accepting applicants - GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, letters of recommendation, strength of application, etc. Prior laboratory research experience, although not required, is viewed favorably for admission to the Ph.D. program.

A minimum TOEFL score of 600 on the paper version, 250 on the computer version or 100 on the internet-based version is required. If a student attended an English-speaking school, that requirement may be waived.