细胞是地球上所有生命的基本单位。因此，细胞生物学定义了理解生物学和人类疾病各个方面的所有努力的中心。细胞生物学寻求理解一个连续体，该连贯性首先阐明了细胞构建的分子基础，成千上万种细胞类型如何完成其​​各自的任务最后，这些不同的细胞如何相互作用形成组织，系统和生物。因此，细胞生物学家代表着一个多元化的群体，他们熟悉并致力于多种学科：从遗传学到生物化学，从免疫学到神经生物学，从发展到信息学，从基因组学到临床医学。细胞生物学家还必须很聪明，随时准备开发新颖的方法并将其应用于出现的无数问题。尽管细胞生物学计划的基
Students interested in joining the Cell Biology program should first apply to the combined graduate program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), and specifically choose the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development (MCGD) track within the BBS program on their applications. All students admitted to the Cell Biology program, and to the larger BBS program, are given complete financial support, including a 12-month stipend and full tuition, during the entire time they are working toward the Ph.D. degree. Students are supported for the first 3 years usually by NIH training grants and thereafter by their faculty advisors' research grants. A number of students receive fellowships from the NSF and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and students in the first and second years are encouraged to apply for these prestigious awards. A limited number of Yale fellowships are available for outstanding foreign students.