Mission Statement

The ongoing mission of the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology is to provide a premier, collegial, and scientifically diverse environment that pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery for the benefit of human health through research excellence, rigorous training in cutting-edge and quantitative cell biology, and the development of future leaders.

Vision and Value Statement

The Department of Cell Biology & Physiology is, and will continue to be, a highly collaborative and inclusive department that is internationally recognized as a leader in ground-breaking research.  We will achieve our mission by promoting the following:

  1. We value seminal scholarship and aspire to promote research diversity by recruiting faculty with unique vision and scientific focus that synergizes with and builds upon the department’s scientific strengths. 
  2. We value and actively support a collegial faculty that are responsive to the needs of trainees, staff, colleagues, and the community.
  3. We value the scientific teaching and mentoring contributions of all members of our community regardless of rank.
  4. We value the success of faculty, staff and trainees. We take a broad view of professional development to ensure that all members of our community are well-prepared and competitive for the next step in their careers.
  5. We value faculty, staff, and trainee involvement in scholarship and leadership. We aspire to develop these qualities in every member of the department to ensure that they become successful leaders in their chosen communities across the world.

Venues for Creative Dialogue

Our department offers many opportunities for formal and informal exchanges of ideas that support our culture of collaboration and collegiality. These activities include seminars and chalk talks, afternoon teas and a Friday happy hour, as well as annual picnics, retreats, and holiday events. We also have a baseball team, the Rough ERs, for whom sportsmanship is more important than the trophies that others aspire to. Some of these activities are specifically intended to support the family-centric culture of our department.

Inter- and Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations

Inter- and Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations

In our relationships within our institution, we cultivate the synergies that naturally exist among the basic biomedical sciences by working closely with our colleagues in the departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Anatomy & Neurobiology. We also foster collaborations with clinical and translational researchers at the School of Medicine, as well as with the physical sciences and biomedical engineering on the main Danforth Campus.

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Trainees

Currently, we have over 40 students and postdoctoral researchers. Our department is the intellectual core and spiritual home of the PhD Program in Cell & Molecular Biology. These students and trainees ensure that a lively energy pervades our scientific pursuits and happy hours.