Student Resources
Students pursuing a Ph.D. through Saint Louis University’s Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology find a welcoming and supportive environment in which to learn and conduct research.
Wendell H. Griffith Seminar Series
This student-organized seminar series was established to honor Wendell Griffith, Ph.D., a distinguished faculty member who joined the Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1923. Griffith pioneered studies of experimental nutrition and was an outstanding teacher. This speaker is specifically chosen and invited by students.
Graduate Student Retreat
A day-long retreat held every fall for SLU’s core graduate program in biomedical science. It provides an opportunity for experienced graduate students to share their research with incoming students, as well as students from other departments in the core graduate program. Faculty members give a short talk to introduce the incoming class to their different research programs available.
Graduate Student Association (GSA) Symposium
Saint Louis University’s annual GSA Symposium features graduate student research in physical, social and biological sciences, as well as business and the humanities. Student research in either a poster or paper format is presented and evaluated by faculty judges. Students from disciplines across the University participate, providing an opportunity to meet students from a variety of departments and schools.
Student Representation
Students in the Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are given a voice in governance and decision making. Student representatives are included in departmental committees dealing with issues concerning graduate curriculum, health and safety, selection of journals for the department reading room and organization of social events.
Coffee, Tea and Cookies
Every afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the members of the department gather together in the fourth-floor conference room to chat over coffee, tea and cookies. This traditional break in the day draws a crowd for discussions ranging from the latest research papers to the outcome of yesterday’s baseball game.
Special Events
Members of the department meet socially, both formally and informally, on a regular basis during the year. These social events include TGIFs, a Christmas party and an annual Halloween ‘Spooky Cookie Contest’ with prizes for the best desserts. The department supports many of these events and students are often the enthusiastic organizers.
The St. Louis Area Scientific Community
St. Louis is a dynamic city for biomedical research and has a thriving scientific community.
Monsanto, a leading plant biotechnology company, has its headquarters in St. Louis. Several of our faculty have active collaborations with scientists at Monsanto and the Cortex research incubator facility.
The U.S. office of Sigma-Aldrich and numerous small biotech companies are also based here. In fact, a distribution center for Sigma-Aldrich is just a few blocks from the medical school.
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in combination with the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden, Washington University, and Monsanto make St. Louis one of the top cities for plant biotechnology. Prospects for future jobs in St. Louis are excellent with this diversity of academia and industry.