Faculty who join the Graduate Field of Biomedical & Biological Sciences are expected to be active members of our community.  Lack of participation in at least one activity every five years is considered potential grounds for removal from the field. Participation in student special committees, voting in field faculty nominations, and participation in field-related matters are expected.  Other forms of participation include, but are not limited to: being a field appointed committee member, acting as special committee chair, acting as DGS, teaching BioAP6100, BioAP7100, WIP, journal club, or developing your own BBS student course; serving on admissions, being a member of the Working Group, being a member of BBS Faculty EARs, hosting special workshops, giving a career presentation, serving on a faculty panel, being an ethics workshop leader, acting as an advisor to BBS Graduate Student Society, serving on outreach programs, coordinating the peer mentor program, helping to coordinate BBS symposiums or events, or assisting with other major program components. 

The process to obtain admission to the Biomedical & Biological Sciences field is as follows:

• submit a letter of intent to Dave Lin, BBS Director of Graduate Studies
  • The letter should briefly touch on your research interests, why you want to join (e.g., serve a student’s committee), your experience mentoring students, and any collaborations or overlapping interests you may have with other BBS faculty.  You will find a current list of BBS faculty on the Graduate School BBS field faculty listing.
• submit a current Curriculum Vitae
• solicit two letters of recommendation from current BBS graduate faculty 

Your CV and letters of recommendation are to be submitted to the BBS Graduate Field Assistant (GFA), Alyssa Lopez (al546@cornell.edu).  Once everything is received, your nomination will be sent to the Biomedical and Biological Sciences field faculty for a vote.  Once a 75% voter response from the current field membership is achieved and an overwhelming majority approves your nomination, your packet is sent to the Graduate School.  Once your nomination is approved by the Graduate School, you will receive a letter from the Dean welcoming you to the Field. The field Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and the Graduate Field Assistant (GFA) will be copied on this letter. 

Typically, the nomination process can take from 3 to 6 months, depending on the time of year and current field membership voter responsiveness.

BBS Stipend Rate 2023-24
The BBS Program Oversight Committee has established the minimum stipend/salary for 2023-24 to be $43,326 for a twelve-month appointment, effective August 21, 2023.  This impacts all Baccalaureate / Master level students seeking the PhD in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences Graduate Program. This impacts all Baccalaureate / Master level students seeking the PhD in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences Graduate Program.  For the academic year the board of trustees minimum academic year stipend of $32,494 will be split evenly across the fall and spring semester and $10,832 will be paid for a summer stipend.

Tuition Rate 2023-24 - Contract Graduate Fields
Academic Year                                               
Waiverable tuition (institutional match)                $10,400                                                                
Non-Waiverable tuition                                       $10,400
Total                                                                 $20,800