The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB) and the Department of Chemistry (Chem) at The University of Chicago propose continuation and expansion of an interdisciplinary, predoctoral training program directed at the interface of the chemical and biological sciences. The program aims to educate and train the next generation biomedical scholars by promoting cross-disciplinary research with a synthetic and mechanistic focus while maintaining depth in the core discipline. The program has grown, strengthened and matured through recruitment of outstanding faculty and students and introduction of new courses in interdisciplinary science. The training faculty that comprise the teaching component of the program consists of eleven faculty with appointments in BMB (two with joint appointments in Chemistry), nine faculty in Chemistry (one with a joint appointment in BMB), and two in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research. Seven new faculty members have been recruited to the program in the current funding cycle, with one new hire poised to join the faculty in the 2015-2016 academic year. Strategies to develop cross-disciplinary training include: (1) satisfactory completion of a course in the department of the other scientific discipline; (2) cross-disciplinary research, achieved either as an elective research rotation in th laboratory of a participating faculty member in the other discipline program, or as a collaborative research rotation aligned with the trainee's thesis research; (3) participation in a series of monthly meetings throughout the academic year designated as Discussions at the Interface of Chemistry & Biology to gain acquaintance with theoretical concepts and methods, and (4) participation in two annual half-day events: a CBI Minisymposium and an in-house retreat. The UChicago CBI program seeks to 1) recruit highly motivated students and equip them with the skills that will be needed to recognize and solve the major problems in biomedical science in the coming decades, 2) provide future educators in this discipline, and 3) fulfill health-related positions in academia, industry, public policy, education, and law, requiring a sophisticated appreciation for chemical biological rationales and methods. The broad scope of the interdisciplinary research interests of the faculty, strengthened through collaborative research and teaching, ensures a wide variety of opportunities for meaningful cross-training. With its commitment to interdisciplinary research and broad faculty support, the program offers a supportive environment for training at the cutting-edge of research at the interface of chemistry and biology.
A cross-disciplinary, predoctoral program is proposed with the goal of training future biomedical scientists to develop competence in both chemistry and biology and to enable biologists and chemists to work together. Scholars with skills in both disciplines will be poised to make future breakthrough discoveries in human health research, provide future educators in this discipline, and fulfill health-related positions in our society.
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