Skip to main content
Chemistry and Biochemistry Chemistry and Biochemistry
  1. HOME
  2. Graduate Programs
  3. Biochem & MolBiophysics PhD
  4. BMB Degree Requirements
  5. Thesis Advisors

Academic and Thesis Advisors

First-Year Advisors

A faculty member designated as the First-Year Advisor for new students in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics PhD program.  The First-Year Advisors mentor students until they have a Thesis Advisor.  They meet with students during Orientation to plot out a program of course study for the upcoming year, and to begin guiding the student in the choice of a Thesis Advisor.

Choosing a Thesis Advisor

Most of a student’s efforts in graduate school are directed toward research for the dissertation, and selection of a Thesis Advisor is of utmost importance.  To assist students with this critical decision, there are First-Year Advisors, the Rotation Program (see below), and faculty talks, poster sessions, and lab open houses during Orientation.  Familiarity with the faculty is invaluable when searching for a Thesis Advisor and a Doctoral Committee, when seeking advice on a new technique or new research direction, and when arranging for letters of recommendation and job referrals.  Students must be very proactive in the Thesis Advisor selection process. Students can learn more about specific faculty by scheduling meetings with them in their office/lab.  They can also learn about research groups by talking to postdoctoral fellows and other graduate students. The Rotation program is the most helpful for choosing a research direction and a Thesis Advisor.

Thesis Advisor Approval Process

Council (Chair of the Department, Section chairs, and Section vice-chairs) gives final approval on Thesis Advisor choices.  Students are not considered to have joined a group until Council approval is received.

When matching students with advisors, the preferences of both students and faculty are considered.  Every effort is made to enable students to work with the Thesis Advisor of their choice.  Constraints include acceptance by the faculty, availability of financial support, and limitation on group size.  First-Year Advisors coordinate the adviser selection process.  Once the student and Thesis Advisor have mutually agreed, the Department Council and Chair must approve the choice.  Students must have a Thesis Advisor by the end of Spring quarter to remain in good academic standing and to continue in the program.  The Rotation Program is conducted so that Advisor choice approvals are finalized no later than Winter quarter of the first year.

The Thesis Advisor must be a regular faculty member of the University of California or an Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  According to UCSD policy, if the Thesis Advisor is an Adjunct Faculty, a regular UCSD faculty must be appointed as Co-Chair.  Co-Chairs are normally from our Department.

Students interested in research projects outside of the Department should talk to their First-Year Advisor and senior faculty in their discipline about possibilities. The First-Year Advisor must approve Rotations in other departments.  Selection of a Thesis Advisor in another department requires additional consideration. Moreover, there are different policies governing financial support.  The topic of the dissertation must be sufficiently biochemical as determined by Steering Committee for the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Degree Program.  A Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty must be named as Co-Chair of the Doctoral Committee.  The Co-Chair takes a role in monitoring the progress of the student and facilitating interactions with the Department.  Non-departmental faculty must be the functional Thesis Advisor and may not be an intermediary.  Under no circumstances are students permitted to select a Thesis Advisor who does not hold an appropriate UCSD appointment.

Rotation Program 

The Rotation Program is designed to assist new students with choosing a research advisor by giving them first-hand research experiences in different research groups.  There are three rotation periods of four weeks each. Rotations with faculty from another department must be approved by the First-Year Advisor.

Students receive credit for rotations by enrolling in Chemistry 298 (Special Study in Chemistry) for four units.  The grading option is S/U only, and a grade of S is required to maintain good academic standing.  Faculty are expected to write an evaluation for each student rotation, and this evaluation is kept on file in the Department.  Students are expected to carry out an assigned project and meet regularly with the faculty member.

Rotation choices will be discussed during the First Year Advising sessions. Students are encouraged to talk to various faculty about their research and ask the faculty if and when a rotation would be available in their research group.  Students should contact the faculty to schedule their rotations and inform the First-year advisor when each rotation is scheduled. Students may join a lab at the end of Fall quarter or continue rotating in Winter quarter. When the student and faculty member have reached a mutual agreement, they fill out a form that goes to the Chair and Council for approval. First-Year Advisors continue to work with students and oversee Rotations until all students have a Thesis Advisor that has been approved by Council.

As part of the Rotation process, faculty members are asked to evaluate those students who rotated in their laboratory, and submit the completed evaluation after each Rotation.