Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the science of drugs, their chemical and biochemical properties, and their interactions with live cells, tissues and organisms. In the past 60 years, pharmacology has changed biology and medicine dramatically. Diseases are cured, pain is relieved and formerly fatal illnesses are arrested due to the discoveries made in pharmacology laboratories. Important questions have been answered by basic science, but many remain unsolved. Scientific foundation of the pharmacology PhD program at Weill Cornell Graduate School trains students in areas of modern biology and biomedical engineering. The program's mission, facilitated by the broad scope of research conducted by the its faculty, is to provide students with the foundation necessary for pursuing research activities in cancer biology, the neurosciences, cardiovascular physiology, toxicology, clinical pharmacology, proteomics, metabolomics, drug design and synthesis, and translational research. The research activities of the program's faculty are broad and include cancer biology, neurobiology, cardiovascular physiology, drug metabolism, toxicology, proteomics, receptors and signal transduction, and drug design and synthesis. Some of the research focuses on developing and evaluating novel therapies for a variety of diseases, and several faculty members have clinical involvements at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) or Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). This allows students in the Pharmacology program to perform research that will result in better or new therapies for serious medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious diseases, pain and heart disease. Pharmacology students have ample opportunities to improve their scientific communication skills, both by writing research papers and presenting their research data at laboratory meetings, the program's annual retreat and national scientific meetings. The program provides supportive, spirited colleagues along with a collegiality that helps prepare students for productive research careers in academia, government or industry.