Research Intensive Ph.D. Program - Pharmacology & Neuroscience

The Pharmacology and Neuroscience Graduate Program offers advanced coursework and an intensive research experience leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree for those seeking careers in academia, industry, government and/or administration.  This program is located in Springfield Illinois at the SIU-School of Medicine campus.

In collaboration with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at SIU Edwardsville, we also offer our Ph.D. with a specialization in Medicinal Chemistry (Med Chem) for those interested in synthetic chemistry or computational chemistry. Students on the Med Chem track conduct their research in Edwardsville, Illinois at the SIU Edwardsville campus.

Program overview

• One-year of advanced didactic coursework in pharmacology and related disciplines
• Broad technical training through laboratory research rotations and a dissertation project on a focused area of research
• Completion of dissertation research in collaboration with a faculty advisor
• Presentation of research findings at local, national and international scientific venues
• Publication of research in competitive scientific journals
• Tuition waiver and stipend support

Dissertation mentors

Students complete laboratory rotations to aid in the selection of a faculty mentor for their dissertation research. In addition to the faculty in the Department of Pharmacology at SIU School of Medicine there are also opportunities to work with faculty who are cross-appointed to our department, which include Drs. Erin Hascup, Kevin Hascup, Aida Adlimoghaddam, Jacob Nordman and Leonard Rybak. Faculty in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at SIU Edwardsville may also serve as mentors on a limited basis.  Students interested in working with SIUE faculty should contact the faculty member of interest before applying to the program.

We encourage students with B.A./B.S. or M.A./M.S. degree in a biological or chemical science to apply to the Ph.D. Program.