Over the last two decades a revolution has occurred in the life sciences. Major advances have been pushed forward by the emergence of recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. Whole genome sequencing and analysis have become tools for the study of life, and a milestone was attained with the completion of the human genome sequence. The Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton is in a unique position to incorporate these advances in its teaching and research and enable students to appreciate and participate in the modern biological revolution.

The department's multidisciplinary approach to biology is evidenced by the opening of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, the new program in Quantitative and Computational Biology, and new initiatives in Neuroscience. Our faculty and undergraduates work together in such diverse areas as gene regulation and structure, cellular organization, protein biochemistry and transport, developmental biology, neurobiology, immunology, virology, oncology, structural biology, biophysics, and bioinformatics. Among the experimental organisms under analysis are viruses, bacteria, yeast, slime molds, zebra fish, Drosophila (fruit flies), mice, and humans.
    
Most of our students go on to medical school or to graduate school. Others take positions in government and industry or study law or public health. This country's burgeoning biotechnology industry also provides many career paths for students directly after graduation. Training in molecular biology teaches one to think logically and critically, allowing students to go from molecular biology into almost any field of their choosing.