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For information on the applications, please visit the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences website.
For application criteria: https://fbe.metu.edu.tr/en/molecular-biology-and-genetics
Be sure to contact the instructor you want to work with before applying.
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics
The objective of the graduate program is to train the students to carry out advanced and high-technology research in areas. The program covers molecular biology applications such as molecular genetics, ecological and evolutionary genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, cancer biology, plant sciences, molecular biophysics, biomaterials, molecular pharmacology and toxicology, biomedical techniques, biotechnology, neurophysiology, and ecology.
Course List
| Course Code | Course Name | METU Credit | Contact (h/w) | Lab (h/w) | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIOL558 | Bioethics and Research Methods | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 |
| GENE600 | Ph.D. Thesis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 130.0 |
| GENE601 | Seminars in Molecular Biology and Genetics I | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 |
7 elective course(s)* approved by the Department of Biological Sciences. Total minimum credit: 21
Rules and Regulations
The Qualification Exam includes a written project proposal followed by an oral defense, which is graded as the written and oral examinations, respectively. The exam is designed to assess the Ph.D. candidate's ability to come up with an independent hypothesis-derived research question. The Qualification Exam is conducted in English in its entirety. The exam is held twice a year, in May and November.
- March/Sept: Students submit the names of potential jury members (5 member names from ODTÜ, 4 from outside ODTÜ), the title and an abstract for their proposal to the qualification exam committee by email (hamdiye@metu.edu.tr).
- March/Sept: The committee evaluates the abstract and decides on the final jury composition, and informs the student (within 2 days).
- April/October: 4 weeks later, the student submits her/his project proposal (please see below for guidelines on how to prepare the proposal) by email to the qualification exam committee (hamdiye@metu.edu.tr). The proposal is sent to the jury members (3 from ODTÜ, 2 from outside ODTÜ) within 2 days.
- May/November: The jury members submit their evaluations with a grade out of 100.
- May/November: The qualification exam committee informs the student about the outcome. If the student passes the written project proposal (minimum average of 70/100), the student can take the oral exam. The oral exam is held in the last week of May or November.
The QE involves the preparation and assessment of an original research project proposal by the student that is independent of the Ph.D. topic. The student should submit one short descriptive title and an abstract (maximum word limit of 400 words) along with his/her current or expected PhD thesis topic.
The evaluation will include a critical assessment of the written project proposal and oral exam. The overall purpose is to evaluate the student's analytical thinking skills, including abilities in forming testable hypotheses, developing realistic experimental strategies, identifying the risks, and suggesting plans to mitigate the risks.
Written Project Proposal Evaluation
- Background and Literature Review - 25 points
- Scientific and Technological Excellence - 20 points
- Methodology - 30 points
- Work-Time Schedule - 5 points
- Risk Management - 10 points
- Overall quality - 10 points
- Total - 100 points
The mean of the grades by the five (5) QEC members will be calculated as the written examination grade. Any submission that receives an average grade of < 70/100 will be considered as a failure, and the student will not be invited for the oral examination.
Oral Examination
The oral examination will include questions to evaluate the student's theoretical background and analytical skills in the field. The student may also be expected to defend her/his project proposal and demonstrate that the ideas and content were originally developed by herself/himself.
The jury will independently grade the oral examination. If the mean grade is < 70/100, the student will fail. If a student fails only the oral examination, he/she may choose to submit the same project proposal for the next round of the exam.
Draft a project proposal of a maximum of 10 pages (Arial, 11pt, 1.5 spacing). This page limit excludes work time schedules and a list of references. These sections are submitted separately. The project proposal will assume a duration of three (3) years.
- Abstract: Scientifically oriented executive summary (Intro, Aim, Methodology, Contributions). [Max 400 words]. Keywords: Up to 10.
- Background & Literature Review: Current state of the art, ongoing developments, personal previous work, future research needs. [Max 3 pages].
- Scientific and Technological Excellence: Methodological/conceptual/theoretical contributions, quality of the project, innovative potential. [Max 1 page].
- Methodology: Approach and research design, work packages, data collection/analysis. [Max 4 pages].
- Risk Management: Risks affecting success negatively and Plan-B descriptions. [Max 1 page].
Qualification Committee Members
- Prof. Sreeparna Banerjee
- Prof. Çağdaş Devrim Son
- Prof. Meryem Beklioğlu
- Assoc. Prof. Tülin Yanık
- Assist. Prof. Didem Ambarlı
Formation of Ph.D. Thesis Defense Examination Committee
The following rules for the formation of thesis defense committees were accepted by the University Graduate Committee.
Ph.D. Examination Committee Composition
- Thesis defense examination committees consist of 5 members. The members include the thesis supervisor and two “thesis advisory committee” members, one of whom must be from another university. For the remaining two, one of the members must be from another university.
- The co-supervisors could attend the thesis advisory committee meetings, and defense examinations as observers only but cannot participate in decision-making.
All the members must hold academic positions (at least instructor position with Ph.D. degree).