The mission of KGI’s new PhD program is to endow a select group of students with expertise in research areas relevant to applied bioscience, with the ability to use interdisciplinary tools and approaches to solve problems, and with the motivation to translate knowledge to beneficial applications to advance new horizons in the applied biosciences. The program is designed to educate technically competent, broadly trained, highly original scientists, and will prepare students for research and development positions in a variety of bioscience industrial or academic environments.

Before entering the PhD program, students must first complete the MBS degree at KGI; they will therefore be able to draw upon the unique interdisciplinary and applied educational foundation supplied by the MBS curriculum as they continue their studies. MBS students acquire a broad knowledge base in interdisciplinary life science (systems biology, bioengineering and computational biology) and have the opportunity to focus their coursework in an area of interest to them for more in-depth knowledge. In addition, they gain industry experience through paid summer internships and industry-sponsored Team Masters Projects. They are exposed to a wide variety of issues such as regulatory hurdles encountered in bringing new products to market, intellectual property protection, and commercialization activities that include writing business plans and conducting market research. Throughout the MBS program, students are required to develop their abilities to work in teams and are given numerous opportunities to be team leaders. Students in the PhD program will gain competence in the methods of scientific inquiry by conducting and communicating original research for their theses. Through exposure to industry issues and applied problems, the students will become adept in the translation of discoveries in science and engineering into beneficial products and processes.