Thesis Research
The focal point of your graduate experience will be your thesis research with your advisor. To help guide you through this process, you will meet every six months with your thesis committee, comprised of your advisor and four or more additional faculty members with related interests, to discuss the progress of your research, toss around possible ideas for upcoming experiments and sort out what experiments will drive your project forward. These discussions, which are intended to enhance your critical thinking, form an important part of your intellectual growth as an independent scientist. CMB students take, on average, 5.7 years to complete their thesis from the first day of graduate school to the thesis defense.