The Program in Biophysics (BPY) is intended to facilitate graduate education at Princeton at the interface of the physical and the life sciences. Administered from Lewis-Sigler Institute, Biophysics is a collaboration in multidisciplinary graduate education among faculty in the Institute and the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Computer Science, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, and Physics. The program encompasses the full range of biophysics research at Princeton: from molecules to animals and cells to ecosystems, including work in both experiment and theory.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

An Outstanding Tradition: Chartered in 1746, Princeton University has long been considered among the world’s most outstanding institutions of higher education, with particular strength in mathematics and the physics. Building upon the legacies of greats such as Compton, Feynman, and Einstein, Princeton established the Lewis-Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics in 1999 to carry this tradition of quantitative science into the realm of biology. Princeton University is also the home to the Center for the Physics Of Biological Function, an NSF Physics Frontier Center focused on experimental and theoretical research in biophysics.

World Class Research: Biophysics research at Princeton encompasses work on all scales of life. Intact, functioning biological systems are genuinely complex, and it is hard to do the kinds of reproducible, quantitative experiments that are a hallmark of physics. Inside these systems is such a morass of descriptive details that it raises concerns about the value of studying intact systems and processes. However, this sense of gloom is balanced by the fact that living matter organizes itself to do remarkable things. The biophysics community at Princeton attacks these challenges from all angles, combining cutting edge precision experimental measurements and biological manipulation with fundamental theory and phenomenology to make sense of complex biological phenomena. From the mechanics of molecules to communities of bacteria to the development of tissues to networks of thousands of neurons in the brain, we make progress through collaborative efforts that merge different departments and ways of thinking.

World Class Faculty: These research efforts are led by the BPY program’s 35 faculty, who include members of the National Academy of Sciences, Howard Hughes Investigators, and early career faculty who have received major national research awards and prizes.

Personalized Education: A hallmark of any Princeton education is personal attention. The BPY program is no exception. Group sizes are generally modest, typically 6 – 16 researchers, and all students have extensive direct contact with their faculty mentors. Many students choose to work at the interface of two different groups, enabling them to build close intellectual relationships with multiple faculty. 

Stimulating Environment: The physical heart of the BPY program is the Carl Icahn Laboratory, an architectural landmark located adjacent to physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics on Princeton’s main campus. Students have access to a wealth of resources, both intellectual and tangible, such as world-leading capabilities in microscopy, computation, and fabrication. They also benefit from the friendly atmosphere of the Institute, which includes tea and cookies every afternoon. When not busy doing science, students can partake in an active campus social scene and world class arts and theater events on campus.