Ph.D. (Biophysics), Doctor of Philosophy in Biophysics, Syllabus, Eligibility, Duration, Degree Course

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Doctor of Philosophy in Biophysics

Duration

3 Years

Level

Doctorate

Type

Degree

Eligibility

Post Graduation

Ph.D. Biophysics or Doctor of Philosophy in Biophysics is Doctorate Physics course which is subjective in nature and undertakes the research work in depth. On the completion of doctorate degree scholars should submit their “thesis” and then they deserve the respective degree. Regarding Biophysics, it is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems. Biophysical research shares significant overlap with biochemistry, nanotechnology, bioengineering, agro-physics and systems biology. The duration of the program is minimum two years from the date of registration (3 years for external candidates) and maximum 5-6 years. The minimum qualifications and other eligibility criteria for admission are the same as for regular full time students. Ph.D. is a broad-based course involving a minimum course credit requirement and research thesis. This doctorate course is of two semesters.

Ph.D. Biophysics Eligibility

A Master’s degree is required to gain admission to a doctoral program. In some subjects, doing a Masters in Philosophy (M.Phil.) is a prerequisite to start Ph.D.
In cases, where the admission at the M.Phil. has been conducted through an entrance examination and course work has been prescribed at the M.Phil. level, such M.Phil. candidates when admitted to the Ph.D. programs shall not be required to undertake entrance examination or course work and it shall be considered to have complied with the UGC (Minimum standards and procedure for award M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree).
In other cases, where a candidate has done M.Phil. from one university and moves to another university for Ph.D., the new university may give credit and exempt for the course work done in the previous university. However, such a candidate will have to appear in the entrance test as applicable to a fresh candidate directly joining Ph.D. This procedure will apply in case of those candidates who have also obtained Ph.D. degree from abroad.
For some prestigious Universities, a candidate is required to qualify the all India level examination such as ‘National Eligibility Test’ (NET) for Lectureship conducted by University Grants Commission. Candidates appearing in the final year of qualifying degree examination are eligible to apply. However, they must submit attested copies of qualifying degree certificates/final transcripts.

Ph.D. Biophysics Syllabus

Syllabus of Biophysics as prescribed by various Universities and Colleges.

Sem. I
Sr. No.	Subjects of Study
A	Physical Methods in Biology
Sem. II
B	Information Processing and the Brain

Detailed View of the Syllabus

Sr. No.	Subjects of Study
BP I	Physical Methods in Biology
1	Spectroscopy:
	i) Historical background of development of optics. Corpuscular theory of light, wave theory of light, Electromagnetic theory of light, Planck’s concept and modern theory of light. Electronic structures of atoms & molecules, theory of chemical bonding. ii) Scattering of Light. UV & Visible absorption spetrophotometry, Lambert Beer’s Law, molar extinction coefficient and its determination, instrumentation & applications, Fluorescence Spectroscopy: principles and applications, fluorescence polarisation, Polarisation of light, CD and ORD spectroscopy, Fundamentals of X-ray crystallography, instrumentation and biological applications. Principles of magnetic resonance, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) & Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and biological applications, Relaxation studies. Electron Microscopy: Principles of transmission & scanning electron microscope
2	Hydrodynamic Methods:
	Viscosity, Sedimentation equilibrium and velocity centrifugation, Density gradient method, applications.
3	Chromatography:
	Partition and Absorption Chromatography, paper and thin layer chromatography, gel filtration, ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. GLC, HPLC and FPLC. Emerging trends in chromatography
4	Electrophoresis:
	Behaviour of biomacromolecules in electric fields, PAGE, Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, 2D Electrophoresis, Dialectrophoresis.
5	Radioactive Methods:
	Radioactive isotopes, nature of radioactive decay, sample preparation and counting, G.M. and Scintillation counters. Precautions in radio isotope handling. Autoradiography and its biological applications.
6	Emerging topics in Biophysical methods:
BP II	Information Processing and the Brain
1	Electrical behaviour of the biological membrane.
2	Introduction to Nervous System with a special reference to Sensory Receptors and Perception.
3	Origin of the concept of Computability, Turing Machines.
4	Synaptic Transmission: Physicochemical Principles, Resting Potential, Action Potential, Membrane Theory of Action Potential, Hodgkin Huxley Model, Mathematical solutions of H-H equations.
5	Models of Neurons: Artificial neurons, Physiological Neuronal Network versus Artificial Neural Network.
6	Mathematical tools to deal with Spiking Neurons.
7	Neural Basis of Cognition: Principles of Learning & Memory, Cellular Mechanism of Learning & Memory, and Comparison with Machine Learning.
8	Open discussions on the Interface of Artificial Neural Net and the Brain.

Ph.D. Biophysics Colleges

Panjab University - PU, Chandigarh
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences - NIMHANS, Bangalore

Ph.D. Biophysics Course Suitability

Those who want to promote their academic degrees, hike in salary, or stable job in academics then they can join this course. Such candidates should take admission in State-run Universities and part time Ph.D.'s courses.
They should have interest in scientific phenomena, patience, perseverance, precision and tremendous inclination to search for real solutions is the strength of all bio physicists.
They should be able to think creatively and work independently as part of a professional and interdisciplinary team will be helpful.
They should have excellent writing and computer skills and patience with and curiosity about the physical world.

How is Ph.D. Biophysics Course Beneficial?

Doctorate Degree enables one to keep pace with the expanding frontiers of knowledge and provides research training relevant to the present social and economic objectives of the country.
It learns to write a good research report and acquires the skill of presenting data in graphical form.
Teaching is one of the best evergreen fields for the candidates after the higher doctorate degree.

Ph.D. Biophysics Employment Areas