Harvard Biological & Biomedical Sciences PhD Program | PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Welcome to Harvard BBS!

The Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) Program at Harvard offers Ph.D. training in the biosciences, built outward from core training in contemporary genetics, biochemistry, and molecular, cellular, and mechanistic biology. Under BBS, are interwoven research communities comprised of basic science departments and interdepartmental programs at Harvard Medical School. We think of these communities as our neighborhoods within the city. Each provides a close-knit environment where faculty and trainees with common interests work together to advance research in their field and participate in training activities tailored to the diversity of career trajectories for today’s PhDs. BBS combines the unparalleled choice of research lab, made possible by its unique breadth and depth, with the cohesiveness of shared-interest communities typical of smaller departmental programs.

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News & Research

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Harvard Medical School Researchers Win NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards

October 16, 2026

Four Harvard Medical School researchers have been awarded research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of their High-Risk, High-Reward Research program . In this year’s round, the NIH will provide approximately $237.5 million in...

Find Your Center: From Bench to Bill

October 15, 2026

When people think about science policy, they might picture a one-way relationship: scientists make discoveries, and policymakers decide how to use them. But according to Antonia Kowalewski, co-president of the Harvard Griffin GSAS Science Policy Group...

Drug combination that reduces oxygen levels in tissues improves Parkinson’s symptoms in mice

October 14, 2026

Highlights Studies in mouse models have previously shown that continuously breathing low-oxygen air may be beneficial in Parkinson’s disease and rare diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction, but this raises practical and safety issues. To address...

Catalog of Mitochondria Across Tree of Life Unearths New Roles for the Cell’s Powerhouse

October 06, 2026

Researchers have built a catalog of mitochondrial proteins found in six eukaryotic organisms — five parasites and one plant — that, along with existing inventories of human and yeast mitochondria, reveals new insights into this essential organelle. By...

‘Molecular Movie’ Fills in Blanks of How Non-Enveloped Viruses Infect Cells

October 06, 2026

Researchers have answered a longstanding question about how certain non-enveloped viruses punch through the cell membrane to deliver their genetic material. The findings deepen understanding of virology and could aid the biotech industry’s search for ways...

Susan Dymecki Named Next Chair of HMS Department of Genetics

October 06, 2026

Susan Dymecki , the George Fabyan Professor of Genetics in the Field of Comparative Pathology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, has been named the next chair of the HMS Department of Genetics, effective Jan. 2, 2027. She will become...