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Welcome to the Biochemistry Department Website. Our Department is the administrative home to 17 faculty members, approximately 60 graduate students (both Ph.D. and M.S. programs), 800 undergraduate Biochemistry majors, 11 postdoctoral fellows, and 25 support staff. Our major mission is to engage in basic biochemical and molecular biological research and instruction.
The faculty of the Department is responsible for presentation of the undergraduate major in Biochemistry, which has three emphases: Biology, Chemistry, and Medical Sciences. The faculty of the department, in collaboration with 28 Cooperating Faculty in five other departments, constitutes the Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology which is responsible for presentation of the Ph.D. and M.S. programs. Areas of research specialization represented within the Biochemistry Department and the Graduate Program span contemporary biochemistry and include the following areas of concentration: molecular biology, physical biochemistry, molecular endocrinology, plant biochemistry & molecular biology, signal transduction, macromolecular chrystolography, and biomedical research.
Biochemistry is a diverse discipline, and a bachelor's degree in it allows entry into fields such as biotechnology, cell biology, and the health professions. The Department of Biochemistry offers a B.S. or B.A. degree and students can choose one of three emphases - Biology, Chemistry, and Medical Sciences -- to meet their academic and career goals.
- Faculty in Biochemistry have highly active research programs in basic biochemistry on subjects that cut across the disciplines of biomedical sciences, chemistry, plant sciences, molecular biology, and structural biology.
- The large undergraduate program with over 800 majors that provide each student with an individual faculty advisor. Rigorous upper-division laboratory requirements and individual research opportunities are key factors in students' success. Biochemistry undergraduate courses also contribute to other programs at UCR, notably the majors in Biological Sciences, Biology, and Engineering.
- The graduate program in Biochemistry (34 Ph.D. and 47 M.S. candidates) is not only the principal source of graduate students for department faculty, but also provides excellent M.S. and Ph.D. students for faculty across the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, in Engineering, and in Biomedical Sciences. About one quarter of Biochemistry's Ph.D. students conduct research in other departments.
Biochemistry Publications
News Releases
- Biochemist to Study How Crops Can Increase Protein Production
- More Than Half the World’s Population Gets Insufficient Amounts of Vitamin D, Says Biochemist
- Biochemist Recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Biochemistry Cooperating Faculty Member and UCR Biomedical Sciences Dean Honored by NAACP Riverside Branch
- Renowned Biochemist to Lead UCR’s College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Biochemistry Student Saves Woman From Hundreds of Miles Away
- Biochemistry Undergraduate Student Accepted to Eight Top Medical Schools
- Biochemistry Cooperating Faculty Member Receives Top Scientific Honor
Events
| January 10 | Dr. Hector Viadiu, University of California San Diego |
| January 17 | Dr. Carlos A. Casiano, Loma Linda University School of Medicine |
| January 24 | Dr. Francisco J. Asturias, The Scripps Research Institute |
| January 31 | Muyu Xu, Graduate Student at the University of California Riverside |
| February 7 | Dr. Michael Carey, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine |
| February 14 | Dr. Michael R. Stallcup, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center |
| February 21 | Dr. Peggy Farnham, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center |
| February 28 | Dr. Thomas Eulgem, University of California Riverside |
| March 6 | Dr. Rosalie Sears, Oregon Health and Science University |
| March 13 | Dr. Katherine A. Jones, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies |

