Letter from the Dean
We are excited and proud to have you consider joining our
community of scholars. Graduate school is transformative. Here, you will
develop from a consumer of scientific information into a creator and
disseminator of new knowledge that will shape your field. Through research
apprenticeship, complemented by course work and other ‘value added’ components,
you will acquire the skills of a lifelong learner and leader. We have high
expectations for you, and we assume you have high expectations of us. The Division
of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) will provide you with the resources,
support, and community to guide you through this intense period of professional
growth.
Becoming a successful scientist in the post-genome era requires
multidisciplinary training and mastery of integrated sciences. Modern
scientists are increasingly developing expertise in multiple specialties. These
include specialties that lead to fundamental changes in basic concepts and that
foster the translation of basic concepts to clinical applications. As DBBS comprises
several programmatic areas of study, it is ideally positioned to promote
scientific training and discovery at the interfaces of disciplines, where the
most important scientific breakthroughs occur. For more than 40 years, DBBS PhD programs have operated at those frontiers. We are proud that our graduates
translate skills forged in graduate training into leadership positions in
academia, industry, writing, law, and other diverse careers.
As
a product of DBBS training myself, I know that your instructors, program
directors, research mentors, DBBS staff, and I are all committed to your
success. We value open communication, establishment of clear expectations, and
hard work. Here you will meet peer and senior colleagues that will support your
difficult work of unlocking nature’s secrets. They will also join you in
celebrating successes and grieving failures. Please explore our programs of
study and reach out to me or any of our outstanding prospective mentors with
questions about training at Washington University in St. Louis. Our decades of
commitment to a collegial, interdisciplinary training environment foster one of
the most comprehensive and effective PhD programs available.
Steve Mennerick, Ph.D.
Interim Associate Dean of Graduate Education
Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Feighner Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology
Vice Chair for Research, Psychiatry
Scientific Director, Taylor
Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research