The objective of this Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Predoctoral Program is to provide cross-disciplinary training to talented students with diverse interests that will enable them to apply the mechanistic and atomistic perspective of chemistry to important biological problems. The program brings together outstanding faculty trainers from six academic units at the University of Delaware that represent diverse disciplines of organic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biology, cell biology, systems biology/bioinformatics, molecular biology, cell biology, plant biology, virology, and developmental biology. The faculty trainers represent promising new investigators and established researchers with vibrant research programs in biomolecular science and experience in training graduate students. Trainees with diverse undergraduate educational backgrounds are selected on the basis of their interests in interdisciplinary science, their GRE scores, undergraduate GPA and letters of recommendation. Trainees are admitted through existing graduate programs of Chemistry &Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or Biological sciences. Trainees will satisfy the degree requirements for their specific departmental program in addition to the requirements for the CBI program. Five one semester courses (15credits) will be selected from a diverse list of course offerings from six departments. A key feature of the program will be three laboratory rotations to provide them with hands-on experience in the different disciplines. Between courses and laboratory rotations students are expected to have exposure to concepts and methods from the atomistic to the cellular. A course on scientific integrity and the responsible conduct of research is also required. A weekly seminar series will provide trainees opportunities to present their own work, learn from both faculty trainers and outside speakers. Trainees will undertake an intensive independent research experience culminating in a dissertation representing an original contribution to a field at the chemistry-biology interface. This program follows a successful model for training scientists with both broad scientific knowledge as well as solid foundations in a chosen core discipline.
Advances in molecular medicine are often impeded by traditional training paradigms in which chemists and biologists often do not speak the same scientific language nor understand advances in each other's fields. This program provides trainees opportunities to learn to share ideas across traditionally separate fields in order to fertilize new ideas and innovations that require working knowledge of both chemistry and biology.
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