# Graduate Studies ## Graduate Studies ![Images of Graduate Students in the lab and field](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-04/Banner_2025_Graduate.jpg?itok=13H2SzLH) ## expand\_more ## The OEB Graduate Program The department's programs, many of which are interdisciplinary or linked to research in other departments, constitute a frontier of scientific vision in organismic and evolutionary biology. Modern research facilities, combined with the natural history collections and libraries of the Harvard University Herbaria and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, provide unique opportunities for meeting the challenges inherent in this pursuit. OEB graduate students take advantage of the wide range of faculty expertise from the Departments of [Molecular and Cellular Biology](http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/), [John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences](https://www.seas.harvard.edu/), [Department of Physics](https://www.physics.harvard.edu/), and [Mathematics](http://www.math.harvard.edu/); as well as the [Broad Institute](https://www.broadinstitute.org/), [Center for the Environment](https://environment.harvard.edu/), [Center for Brain Science](http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/), [Microbial Sciences Initiative](http://msi.harvard.edu/), and the [Harvard Stem Cell Institute](http://www.hsci.harvard.edu/). #### **How Does Admission to OEB Work?** The OEB graduate program is a direct admission program. This means that our students do not normally do rotations, but instead are admitted to work with a specific faculty member. Therefore, a key component of any successful application to OEB is for the student to make direct contact with prospective advisors before they apply **(please note, affiliate faculty cannot serve as primary advisors of OEB graduate students)**. For a list of faculty accepting 2026-2027 students please visit the [OEB Department Faculty](https://www.oeb.harvard.edu/people?f%5B0%5D=hwp_c_people12345678910111%3A48886) page. The best approach is to email the faculty member of interest with a personal note explaining your research experiences and interests, and include a CV. Information on the research interests and contact information of our faculty can be found in the [research](/research) section. Faculty may ask to speak with you on the phone, by Zoom, or even to visit campus before the admissions cycle begins. These contacts are critical because our admission process weighs multiple factors; the most important of which is the quality of the student’s application, incorporating grades, test scores, research experience and letters of recommendation. However, it is also necessary for the prospective advisor to approve admission. #### **What is the General Timeline of the Admissions Process?** - *September - November*: Contact prospective advisors and discuss your research interests, potentially including a campus visit. - *December*: Submit your [application online](https://gsas.harvard.edu/admissions/apply). Students considering graduate work should visit the [GSAS Office of Financial Aid](https://gsas.harvard.edu/office/financial-aid) online. - *January*: Applicants will be notified if they are invited to the OEB interview event. - *Late January - Early February*: Interview event at Harvard - *Late February* *- Early March*: Final admissions decisions are made. OEB's graduate program is part of [Harvard's Integrated Life Sciences Program (HILS)](https://gsas.harvard.edu/office/harvard-integrated-life-sciences). A description of recommended academic preparation, requirements, and admission and financial aid procedures and deadlines are available online through the [Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)](https://gsas.harvard.edu/apply/applying-degree-programs) website. If you have further questions about the OEB Graduate Program, please don't hesitate to email us at . For more detailed information on the OEB Graduate Program, please visit the [OEB Prospective Students](http://admissions.oeb.harvard.edu/home) site. ## Additional Information ### Other Harvard Ph.D. Programs expand\_more Select faculty members from OEB welcome students from other graduate programs including [Biophysics](https://biophysics.fas.harvard.edu/), [Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)](http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/bbs/), [Program in Neuroscience](http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/neuroscience/), [Molecules, Cells, and Organisms (MCO)](https://www.mcb.harvard.edu/graduate/mco/), and [Systems Biology](http://sysbiophd.harvard.edu/). OEB currently has students from these programs working in the [de Bivort](/people/benjamin-de-bivort), [Desai](/people/michael-desai), [Extavour](/people/cassandra-g-extavour), [Girguis](/people/peter-r-girguis), [Kramer](/people/elena-kramer), [Mahadevan](/people/l-mahadevan), [Mallet](/people/james-mallet), [Ölveczky](/people/bence-p-olveczky), [Sabeti](/people/pardis-sabeti), [Srivastava](/people/mansi-srivastava), [Wakeley](/people/john-wakeley) and [Zhang](/people/yun-zhang) labs. Please check the faculty listings of each program to see which OEB faculty member participates in their program. ### OEB Prospective Students expand\_more Please visit [OEB Prospective Students](http://admissions.oeb.harvard.edu/home) for program details and Admissions Visiting Days. ### SACNAS Harvard Chapter expand\_more SACNAS is committed to creating a supportive academic environment for students in the STEM field at all levels and from all backgrounds. Here, at the [Harvard Chapter](http://projects.iq.harvard.edu/sacnasharvard/home), we provide information about outreach opportunities, improving scientific communication, networking with faculty and other resources primarily aimed at students from backgrounds that are typically underrepresented in the sciences. ### Graduate Studies Contact expand\_more [Professor Stephanie Pierce](https://www.oeb.harvard.edu/people/stephanie-e-pierce) Director of Graduate Studies [spierce@oeb.harvard.edu]() [Feven Girmay](https://www.oeb.harvard.edu/people/feven-girmay) Assistant Director of Graduate Programs