Stanford Biosciences students talking

Career of Choice

Our philosophy

Graduate students who do great science find a world of opportunities to make a difference. We believe that individuals do their best—providing the most meaningful, substantial contributions to society—when their activities are aligned with their passions and when they are encouraged, trained, and provided outlets to pursue them. Stanford Biosciences graduates have tremendously impacted universities, industries, and communities.

Just as you set goals for your next experiment, next paper, and next avenue of research, there are short- and long-term goals you can set while at Stanford to help you explore and define your next professional steps. Your mentors—including your advisor and committee members—and the School of Medicine Career Center are here to help guide you along whichever path is right for you.

David Johnson

Featured alumni experience

Stanford Biosciences alumni reflect on their career experiences and give advice on getting the most out of your graduate training. David Johnson, CEO of GigaGen, shares his passion for funding the best science.

See all of our alumni career experiences

What you can do at Stanford

Roadmap: Getting there

From academic and personal development to one-on-one advising and internships, Stanford has myriad opportunities for you to grow as a scientist and explore the ways in which you can continue to make a difference with your work.

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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