Why ISB?

Reasons for choosing ISB for your graduate education


Start your dissertation research quickly.

The rapid 6-week laboratory rotations, and the limited course requirements means that as an ISB student you can begin your dissertation research as early as January of the first year.

Integrate your knowledge.

Instead of taking a general overview course, ISB students take Approaches to Systems Biology, a core class that explores how cross-disciplinary approaches and tools can be used to understand complex problems such as organogenesis regeneration, heart disease, and ciliopathies.

Own your education.

The ISB curriculum has few required courses, and after Approaches, you decide the elective courses you will take. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of our work you can choose to have more than one faculty mentor. 

Accelerate your career.

The ISB program is designed so that you can get your PhD in as little as four years. Training in the ethics of scientific exploration, instruction in writing grants, and integrated career guidance make you unusually well-prepared to seek postdoctoral training or to take a position in the biomedical industries.

Receive a stipend.

Upon admission you will receive a competitive stipend in the amount of $40,000 to cover your living expenses. In addition to the stipend, you will receive complete tuition remission, an educational enrichment fund, and medical health insurance.