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

Welcome to BBS!

About

At the Harvard PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences we are dedicated to training the next generation of scientists who will shape the future of biomedical science with excellence and a commitment to crossing boundaries between diverse fields. We strive to expand scientific understanding through research driven by the highest standards of integrity. Our community nurtures a vibrant environment of intellectual rigor and encourages creative, interdisciplinary approaches to tackling complex biological challenges.

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Program

BBS supports students throughout their Ph.D. journey, providing the guidance and training they need to thrive and become future scientific leaders.

Faculty

We bring together world-class faculty passionate about discovery and dedicated to teaching, mentorship, and advancing science in the classroom, the lab, and the broader scientific community.

Research Communities

A network of basic science departments and interdepartmental research communities offers students a broad range of labs alongside close-knit collaboration, enriching training, and supportive environments for thesis research.

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...

Discovery Challenges View of How Cells Communicate During Inflammation

October 20, 2026

When the immune system detects a threat, cells communicate with one another through signals that activate inflammation. Scientists have long understood that these signals are relayed through receptors: proteins on or inside cells that detect danger and...

New Screening Platform Helps Identify Genes With Tissue-Rejuvenation Potential

October 20, 2026

Researchers have developed a new method for predicting tissue age and screening for genes that affect the aging process. Using these methods, the team — led by George Church , the Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard...

11 Harvard Medical School Researchers, Educators Elected to National Academy of Medicine

October 20, 2026

BBS Faculty: Kathleen Burns, HMS professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, for work on transposable elements in human disease. Her discoveries have highlighted long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) activity as a source of heritable...

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...