Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Group

UC Davis Researchers Among Successful PREP Scholars Admitted to Campus Graduate Programs

Four UC Davis postbaccalaureate researchers returned to campus this fall as both graduate students and fellows of the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). The NSF GRFP supports outstanding scholars in STEM fields, providing a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees.

Twice as Nice: College of Biological Sciences Ph.D. Students Receive U.S. Department of Energy Awards for Computational Biology Research

Keith Fraga won a Office of Science Graduate Student Research award, which gives Ph.D. students the opportunity to conduct research at a DOE national laboratory. Mary-Francis LaPorte won the DOE’s Computational Science Graduate Fellowship, which helps train next-generation leaders in computational science.

BMCDB Graduate Student Yulong Liu Wins UC Davis Dissertation Year Fellowship for Single-Cell Atlas of Zebrafish Ovary

As a Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Group, Yulong Liu investigates the cellular mechanisms underlying female reproductive development in the lab of Associate Professor Bruce Draper. For his research, Liu was recently awarded the UC Davis Dissertation Year Fellowship.

Taking a Bite Out of Research: BMCDB Ph.D. Student Natalie Sahabandu Reflects on Her Journey as an Aggie

Natalie Sahabandu is a Ph.D student in the BMCDB Graduate Group. As an undergraduate at UC Davis, she picked up science skills through the Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program. Her interest in science and biology is all due to her mother, who carted the young Sahabandu to various science exhibitions at local universities in Sri Lanka.

Mitochondrial Chitter-Chatter: Unveiling the Molecular Structures of Cellular Respiration

In order to generate energy, our bodies transfer electrons from food—sugars, fats and proteins—to molecular oxygen, which allows our cells to respire and function. Performed by the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), this process creates ATP, the “molecular currency” for energy in the cell. In a Molecular Cell study, Assistant Professor James Letts, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and colleagues reveal further nuances of the ETC.