Stanford Biosciences student reviewing data on a computer

Additional Resources

Advice on choosing a lab and advisor

"How to Succeed in Science Part I: Taking the Plunge," Jonathan Yewdell, Nature Reviews MCB
"What I Wish I Knew Before I Entered Grad School," Girija Goyal, Harvard DMS Bulletin
"How to Pick a Graduate Advisor," Ben A. Barres, Neuron

Choosing a project

"How to Choose a Good Scientific Problem," Uri Alon, Molecular Cell

Choosing your rotations and thesis lab

"Decisions, Decisions," Cori Bargmann, Current Biology
"Choosing the Right Research Adviser," Richard M. Reis, The Chronicle of Higher Education
"The PhD Journey: How to Choose a Good Supervisor," Matthew Killeya, New Scientist
"How to Choose a Thesis Advisor," PhD Mom, Dr. Mom, My Adventures as a Mommy-Scientist

Switching thesis labs

"Making the Switch: Strategies for Changing Supervisors," Tiffany Boyd, Science Careers
"PhD Students: Should You Switch Labs?," Richard Myers, BitesizeBio.com

Mentor meeting guide

Annual Mentor Meeting Worksheet (PDF): Guide on student-advisor meetings and how to discuss progress to degree and career plans, from Stanford's Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE)

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Stanford Biosciences, 1967: First synthesis of biologically active DNA in test tube
Stanford Biosciences, 1970: Development of the florescence-activated cell sorter
Stanford Biosciences, 1971: Discovery of RNA priming of DNA synthesis
Stanford Biosciences, 1972: First construction of a recombinant DNA molecule containing DNA from two different species
Stanford Biosciences, 1973: First expression of a foreign gene implanted in bacteria by recombinant DNA methods
Stanford Biosciences, 1984: Isolation of a gene coding for part of the T-cell receptor, a key to the immune system's function
Stanford Biosciences, 1987: Purification of first stem cells
Stanford Biosciences, 1988: Discovery of the nuclear factor of activated T cells
Stanford Biosciences, 1990: Discovery of "Off-switch" for genetic reproduction in bacteria
Stanford Biosciences, 1995: Development of the microarray technology that allows researchers to see at once which genes of the thousands present in a cell are switched "on"
Stanford Biosciences, 2000: First use of gene expression profiling to distinguish cancer sub-types
Stanford Biosciences, 1990-2001: Participation in the Human Genome Project; Stanford is 9th worldwide in contributions to the genome
Stanford Biosciences, 2001: The first molecular snapshot published of the protein machinery responsible for transcription in yeast — RNA polymerase II — in action; this helped explain how cells express all the information the human genome
Stanford Biosciences, 2002: First use of RNAi to switch off genes in mice. RNAi offers an extremely selective method to "mute" a single gene amongst the thousands in the genome, helping provide precise information about the role of the gene
Stanford Biosciences, 2009: A researcher sequences his own genome for less than $50,000 and with a team of just two others
Stanford Biosciences, 2007: Array tomography invented
Stanford Biosciences, 2007: For the first time, researchers use a healthy person's complete genome sequence to predict his risk for dozens of diseases