The core mission of the pre-doctoral Developmental Biology Training Program (DBTP) is to produce highly qualified, independent research scientists who are trained to take a broad interdisciplinary approach to developmental biology problems. This mission is consistent with the philosophy of the University of Chicago's Biological Sciences Division (BSD), which seeks to avoid artificial boundaries between disciplines and encourage broad based interaction and collaboration. The interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the DBTP is enhanced by the BSD's structure: researchers in all clinical and basic science departments are housed in close proximity and united under one administrative and intellectual framework. The DBTP trainers are a vibrant group of thirty-six well-funded researchers, including experienced senior faculty and talented junior faculty, based in nine BSD departments (basic science and clinical) and two adjacent Physical Sciences departments. To produce researchers trained in a variety of areas relevant to human health and disease, the DBTP builds on both long-standing and burgeoning University of Chicago strengths in developmental biology. We have well-established strengths in the genetics of model organisms, the cellular basis of development, and evolutionary developmental biology. During this second funding period, strategic new hires have enabled the program to expand its research strengths in stem cell biology, the use of computation/modeling/systems level approaches in developing systems, and in particular developmental neurobiology, a research area that is being positively influenced by the new University of Chicago Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior. DBTP trainees are carefully selected from six interdisciplinary graduate training programs: training grant support begins as they enter their second year of studies and generally extends for two years, subject to competitive renewal. We propose to continue to support four trainees for the next two years, and then increase that number to five trainees in years 3-5 to take advantage of the expanding pool of students with interests in developmental neurobiology. This number of trainees will allow us to be highly selective, while maintaining a critical cohort size. Trainees benefit from a strategically designed curriculum that includes access to six dedicated formal courses in developmental biology, a new requirement for quantitative training, and an extensive range of supplemental training-related activities. Among these activities are the DBTP sponsored developmental biology seminar series and journal/data in progress club (plus associated new communications course), an annual retreat, and regular student-run DBTP-sponsored symposia. In summary, the DBTP integrates a wide range of varied training approaches to prepare future leaders in developmental biology research and education.
The goal of the program is to prepare exceptional future leaders in developmental biology research and education. Developmental biology studies are highly relevant to human health; for example, by allowing establishment of animal models of human disease, by providing experimental systems to allow rigorous studies of genetic and genomic mechanisms in whole organisms, and by defining our understanding of stem cell biology.
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