About

Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics has had a long-standing tradition of excellence in the study of  cell and molecular biology as it relates to fundamental processes and diseases such as cancer and selected neurological and muscular diseases.  We use the tools of genetics, molecular biology, cryoelectron microscopy and computational biology. The Department is located on the first and sixth floors of Pinn Hall, and currently consists of twenty primary faculty members and another twenty secondary faculty distributed over other departments of the medical school.  Our research focuses on computational biology, DNA replication and repair, transcriptional regulation, chromatin folding, cell cycle traverse, genetic instability, nuclear import, structure of  nucleoprotein complexes, epithelial mesenchymal transition and antibody selectivity and design.  Thus, the Department represents a broad range of research interests with special emphasis on molecular biology as it applies to diseases like cancer.

The students, postdoctoral fellows, staff, and faculty of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics form a very cohesive and interactive group.  We are particularly proud of our outstanding undergraduate and graduate students (Ph.D., M.D. or M.D.-Ph.D.) and postdoctoral fellows who come from all over the world. Our Ph.D. students are admitted through the common BIMS program of our University. Virtually everyone attends the Departmental weekly research seminars on Thursdays featuring invited speakers from elsewhere and the weekly  research meeting/journal clubs featuring our faculty and trainees on Tuesdays.  In addition, there are several more specialized journal and research clubs that meet on a regular basis with members of our own and other departments in the College and School of Medicine.  We also host a long-standing annual symposium and annual retreat, details of which can be found under the “Events” tab.  The graduate students invite scientists from other institutions to talk about their work and to sit down together for dinner and discussion.  A host of social activities, both organized and spontaneous, occur throughout the year.  Thus, the academic and research activities, as well as the many opportunities for interaction among students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty, help to shape an outstanding and cooperative research and training experience.  The success of our research training program is reflected in the long list of high profile publications from the department and the very successful careers of our student and postdoctoral alumni.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics seeks to provide an environment in which all people are able to thrive in their educational endeavors, their professional development, and in their pursuit of new knowledge.  We recognize that many people face barriers on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, gender identity, disability, religion, age, and other factors that have prevented their full participation in the discipline of science.  These barriers have also artificially minimized the scientific contributions of some and elevated the contributions of others.  We are committed to individual and systemic change that will continue to improve the environment in which education and research are conducted.  We are committed to promoting diversity and removing barriers, and we have a commitment to understand and heal the legacy of harm which has arisen from our collective history, both on a local level and in the world.

We enthusiastically participate in several initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, including the UVA Summer Research Institute Program, the UVA Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team, UVA Women in Medical Sciences, the UVA Mentoring Institute, the UVA Diversity Consortium programs, as well as the national meetings hosted annually by SACNAS and ABRCMS