Facts and Figures

Chair

Dr. Shoichet seeks to discover chemical reagents that can illuminate biological problems. A longstanding effort to do so is by exploiting protein structures to predict new reagents and therapeutic leads (structure-based ligand discovery).

Research areas

Categories of department research:

Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry

Chemical biologists use various tools and techniques to investigate and understand the functions of proteins and molecules inside human cells.
Computational Chemistry and Biology

Computational chemists use computer programs to model, predict, and analyze biologically important molecules, aiding in the discovery and design of drugs that selectively bind to disease-related proteins.
Physical Biology

Physical biologists create and refine techniques to study the dynamic properties and interactions of macromolecules, aiding in the rational design of drugs that target disease-related molecules.
Protein and Cellular Engineering

Protein engineers modify and design proteins for biological exploration and therapeutic applications, including monitoring biological processes, diagnosing diseases at the molecular level, and experimentally analyzing protein folding and function.

Organized research unit (ORU)

Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), an Organized Research Unit within UCSF's School of Pharmacy, applies computation, mathematics, and statistics to tackle complex biological problems, aiming to develop innovative treatments across diverse diseases.

Visit the QBI

Research services and facilities

The technologies within each of these core facilities are advanced and improved by department faculty members and used by faculty members at UCSF and beyond to conduct their science.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility (NMR)

Our advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) facilities allow researchers to explore molecular structures, interactions, and dynamics of small molecules and biomacromolecules like proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates.
Resource for Biocomputing, Visualization, and Informatics (RBVI)

The Resource for Biocomputing, Visualization, and Informatics (RBVI), formerly the Computer Graphics Laboratory (CGL), creates innovative software tools and web-based computational resources.
Small Molecule Discovery Center (SMDC)

The Small Molecule Discovery Center (SMDC) collaborates with academics, government labs, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop unique chemical probes and drug leads that address unmet medical needs.
Biomedical Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Resource Center

This Resource Center provides leadership, expertise and advice about proteomic methodologies to investigators and their groups on the design and implementation of suitable experimental strategies that will enable them to achieve their research goals.

PhD Education Programs

The five PhD programs administered by the School sit under the broader umbrella of the Quantitative Biosciences Consortium (QBC).

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG)

This multidisciplinary graduate program has a dual focus: pharmaceutical sciences and drug development, and pharmacogenomics, which is the application of genetics and genomics to drug action and disposition.
PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB)

Prepares scientists to address problems at the intersection of chemistry and biology by providing a chemical foundation for understanding complex biological processes at an atomic level.
PhD in Biophysics (BP)

The Biophysics Graduate Program (BP) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) prepares scientists to leverage new and emerging research tools—from nanotechnology to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy—to quantify biological processes in living biological systems using physics and chemistry.
PhD in Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI)

The Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI) Graduate Program at UCSF trains scientists to apply quantitative tools to analyze and interpret complex biological data.
PhD in Bioengineering (BioE)

The UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program in Bioengineering combines the outstanding resources and faculty in biomedical sciences at UCSF with the excellence in engineering, physical, and life sciences at UC Berkeley.