Ph.D. student in Brian Pierce's Lab

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

Biological Sciences Graduate Program

An interdepartmental Ph.D. program that offers unparalleled opportunities for research and discovery across contemporary life sciences disciplines.

Concentration Areas

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Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics (BEES)

e2 front surf

Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, & Genomics (CBBG)

confocal image of a disease-resistant protein

Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)

aniline blue stained arabidopsis flower

Physiological Systems (PSYS)

Apply to BISI

Are you interested in using cutting-edge technologies to explore the life sciences? The Biological Sciences Ph.D. program might be the place for you! From the plant sciences to molecular genetics and everything in between, you’ll cultivate skills that will take you far beyond the classroom. 

The Fall 2026 application is closed. We will resume accepting applications for Fall 2027 in July 2026.

News

'Finding New Tools for the Toolbox'

'Finding New Tools for the Toolbox'

April 28, 2026
BISI Graduate Student Award Winners 2026

BISI Graduate Student Award Winners 2026

April 24, 2026
UMD BioFIRE Student Becomes Program’s First Doctoral Graduate

UMD BioFIRE Student Becomes Program’s First Doctoral Graduate

April 20, 2026
On the Case of the Thieving Nudibranchs

On the Case of the Thieving Nudibranchs

April 16, 2026

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Meet our Graduate Students

Portrait of Sahana Kumar

Sahana Kumar

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Anna Mikkelsen

Anna Mikkelsen

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Ricardo Sierra Arroyo

Ricardo Sierra Arroyo

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Zhuoyue Yang

Zhuoyue Yang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Gayatri Anand

Gayatri Anand

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Dagyeong "Irene" Yang

Dagyeong "Irene" Yang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Johena Sanyal

Johena Sanyal

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Adena Collens

Adena Collens

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Savanna Lyda

Savanna Lyda

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Sondos Abdelhafeez

Sondos Abdelhafeez

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Alon Katz

Alon Katz

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Wesley DeMontigny

Wesley DeMontigny

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Carter Dierlam

Carter Dierlam

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yuan Gao

Yuan Gao

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yaal Dryer

Yaal Dryer

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Shayana Saravanakumar

Shayana Saravanakumar

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aurelie Niyongabo

Aurelie Niyongabo

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Spencer Lewis

Spencer Lewis

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Kevin Hackbarth

Kevin Hackbarth

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Anna Phan

Anna Phan

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Nakia Fallen

Nakia Fallen

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Theresa Menna

Theresa Menna

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Ama Antwi

Ama Antwi

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aisha Abdulkarimu

Aisha Abdulkarimu

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Michelle Launi

Michelle Launi

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Victoria Lowers

Victoria Lowers

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of John Labella

John Labella

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Nairita Faruqui

Nairita Faruqui

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of De'Marcus Woolfork

De'Marcus Woolfork

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aolani Perry

Aolani Perry

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Cierra Wilson

Cierra Wilson

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Catherine Harvey

Catherine Harvey

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Justin O'Neill

Justin O'Neill

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yi Chen

Yi Chen

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Junhan Kim

Junhan Kim

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Urja Biswas

Urja Biswas

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Jory Van Thiel

Jory Van Thiel

Ph.D. Student

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