Structural Biology

Structural biology is a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules (especially proteins, made up of amino acids, and RNA or DNA, made up of nucleotides), how they acquire the structures they have, and how alterations in their structures affect their function. This subject is of great interest to biologists because macromolecules carry out most of the functions of cells, and it is only by coiling into specific three-dimensional shapes that they are able to perform these functions. This architecture, the "tertiary structure" of molecules, depends in a complicated way on each molecule's basic composition, or "primary structure."

Biomolecules are too small to see in detail even with the most advanced light microscopes. The methods that structural biologists use to determine their structures generally involve measurements on vast numbers of identical molecules at the same time. These methods include:

Most often researchers use them to study the "native states" of macromolecules. But variations on these methods are also used to watch nascent or denatured molecules assume or reassume their native states. See protein folding.

A third approach that structural biologists take to understanding structure is bioinformatics to look for patterns among the diverse sequences that give rise to particular shapes. Researchers often can deduce aspects of the structure of integral membrane proteins based on the membrane topology predicted by hydrophobicity analysis. See protein structure prediction.

In the past few years it has become possible for highly accurate physical molecular models to complement the in silico study of biological structures. Examples of these models can be found in the Protein Data Bank.

* Description and images provided by Wikipedia under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license .

Matching Structural Biology Colleges

Indiana University-Bloomington

Four or more years; Public; $36,932 average out-state tuition; $9,913 average in-state tuition

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Four or more years; Private not for profit

Yeshiva University

Four or more years; Private not for profit; $44,300 average out-state tuition; $44,300 average in-state tuition

University at Buffalo

Four or more years; Public; $24,990 average out-state tuition; $7,070 average in-state tuition

Baylor College of Medicine

Four or more years; Private not for profit

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Four or more years; Public; $38,757 average out-state tuition; $10,927 average in-state tuition

Scholarships for Structural Biology Majors

Bullet name award deadline Link
 

Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Up to $30,000 Varies See Details
 

Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

award

Up to $30,000

deadline

Varies
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Jewel Scholars Program - Mount Mary College

Mount Mary College

$26,000 Varies See Details
 

Jewel Scholars Program - Mount Mary College

Mount Mary College

award

$26,000

deadline

Varies
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SMART Scholarship

United States Department of Defense (DoD)

Up to $38,000 December 01, 2023 See Details
 

SMART Scholarship

United States Department of Defense (DoD)

award

Up to $38,000

deadline

December 01, 2023
See Details
 

Lumpkins Family Merit Scholarship in the College of Science

University of Notre Dame

$25,000 January 01, 2024 See Details
 

Lumpkins Family Merit Scholarship in the College of Science

University of Notre Dame

award

$25,000

deadline

January 01, 2024
See Details
 

Quantitative Biology Research Community (QBReC) Fellowship

Brandeis University

Up to $20,500 January 01, 2024 See Details
 

Quantitative Biology Research Community (QBReC) Fellowship

Brandeis University

award

Up to $20,500

deadline

January 01, 2024
See Details
 

Bess Heflin Fellowship

University of Texas at Austin, Office of Graduate Studies

$19,000 Varies See Details
 

Bess Heflin Fellowship

University of Texas at Austin, Office of Graduate Studies

award

$19,000

deadline

Varies
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UCF Astronaut Scholarship

University of Central Florida (UCF)

Up to $15,000 October 31, 2023 See Details
 

UCF Astronaut Scholarship

University of Central Florida (UCF)

award

Up to $15,000

deadline

October 31, 2023
See Details
 

National Space Club Keynote Scholarship

National Space Club

$15,000 December 04, 2023 See Details
 

National Space Club Keynote Scholarship

National Space Club

award

$15,000

deadline

December 04, 2023
See Details
 

Alice P. Gast STEM Scholarship

Lehigh University

$12,500 January 15, 2024 See Details
 

Alice P. Gast STEM Scholarship

Lehigh University

award

$12,500

deadline

January 15, 2024
See Details
 

SOLV Energy Women in Solar Scholarship

Solar Energy International (SEI)

$10,000 Varies See Details
 

SOLV Energy Women in Solar Scholarship

Solar Energy International (SEI)

award

$10,000

deadline

Varies
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