About the Department

Our scientist-teachers are experts in fields from microelectromechanical systems to drug metabolism and transport, and from computational biology to personalized medicine. We believe this range of inquiry is essential to discovering the underlying mechanisms of disease and finding sophisticated new ways to diagnose and treat disease with intelligent therapeutics. Our research drives the development of new medicines, medical devices, and diagnostic tests, as it answers pressing scientific questions—from how an individual’s genetic profile affects drug response to how we can use nanotechnology to build devices that replace the work of diseased organs. Using advanced computational and experimental tools, we work at the intersection of basic science and patient care.

We are connected to the worldwide research community through a network of PhD alumni, adjunct and affiliated faculty members, and scientists in academia, industry, and government. We consider our donors — who share our commitment to finding better therapeutics — to be valued partners in our work.

Our work

We educate science students in many PhD programs at UC San Francisco. We are closely involved with the five PhD programs administered by the School of Pharmacy.

  • PhD in Bioengineering (BioE)

    The UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program in Bioengineering combines the outstanding resources and faculty in biomedical sciences at UCSF with the excellence in engineering, physical, and life sciences at UC Berkeley.

  • PhD in Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI)

    The Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI) Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) prepares scientists to use tools from mathematics to physics and from chemistry to biology to gather, store, analyze, predict, and disseminate information about biology.

  • PhD in Biophysics (BP)

    The Biophysics Graduate Program (BP) prepares scientists to leverage new and emerging research tools — from nanotechnology to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy — to quantify biological processes in living biological systems using physics and chemistry.

  • PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB)

    The Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program (CCB) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) prepares scientists to address problems at the intersection of chemistry and biology by providing a chemical foundation for understanding complex biological processes at an atomic level.

  • PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG)

    The Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG) Program focuses on how to develop effective drug therapies for patients that have a minimum of adverse effects.

PharmD Degree Program

We help ensure that our Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) professional students develop extensive knowledge of how and why medications act in patients. 

Master of Translational Medicine Degree Program

Our Master of Translational Medicine (MTM) program is designed for engineers, scientists, and clinicians who seek to bring innovative treatments and devices into clinical use.

Postdoctoral scholars

Postdoctoral scholars add to the vitality of our department as they help move our research forward in innovative ways.

More about the department