The proposal requests support for fifteen predoctoral and six postdoctoral trainees in a multidisciplinary program in Genomics at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). We define genomics broadly as the acquisition and analysis of high-throughput genome-scale data in biology, and the exploitation of the resulting data to solve biomedical problems. The (20) twenty participating faculty at UCB are drawn from nine Departments (Molecular and Cell Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Integrative Biology, Public Health, Nutrition, and Computer Science). Research mentors are also available at the nearby Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), which is home to national centers for microscopy, imaging, supercomputing, and synchrotron radiation. Students can be admitted to the program throughout the Ph.D. programs of any of the participating UCB departments. In addition to rigorous training in their home departments, a wide range of didactic courses are available for training in complementary disciplines to provide trainees with exposure to technology development for genomics, important biological and biomedical problems that can be attacked by new technologies, and computational approaches to analysis and mining of genomic data. Trainees typically spend three consecutive ten-week periods rotating though different laboratories of their choice selected from a diverse array of research environments at UC Berkeley or at LBNL. The specific multidisciplinary course of study for each trainee will be chosen in consultation with a pair of faculty mentors, one from biology and one from the physical sciences or engineering. Students typically take their oral qualifying exams by the end of the second year, and begin to engage in research projects. In years 3-5 trainees carry out their dissertation research, continue to teach and take advanced courses, and participate in seminars, group meetings, and retreats to expand their skills. Applicants to the participating departments typically have outstanding undergraduate records in the biological, chemical, or physical sciences, or engineering. Admission is based on evaluation of previous scholastic achievement, prior research experience and performance scores on standardized exams, statement of purpose and letters of recommendation.
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