This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award will establish a doctoral training program in advanced chemical genomics (ChemGen) at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). The goal of the program is to prepare a cohort of scientists with depth and breadth of understanding across the disciplines of cell biology, chemistry, computational sciences and engineering, with competence in collaborative research aimed at solving complex problems in biology. The program will prepare graduates with skills for multidisciplinary research, acute awareness of the potential for their discoveries to address global food, health and environmental problems, of the ethical implications of their research, and with exposure to a variety of research environments in academia and industry. Specifically, students will be trained in advanced chemical genomics - a field that integrates innovative high-throughput chemical screens, chemical-ligand analyses, chemical synthesis with genetic, genomic, bioinformatic tools and nanoscale engineering - to solve challenges in cell biology. The coordinating entity for this graduate project is the Center for Plant Cell Biology, which builds upon strengths in plant and fungal cell biology, bioengineering, chemistry and computational biology at UCR. ChemGen doctoral students will have two co-mentors, representing two disciplines. Research projects that use a chemical genomics approach to address biological questions will provide a unique opportunity to unite effective multidisciplinary teams. The enriched doctoral training program will include a design project studio in chemical genomics, a weekly seminar/discussion group, an annual retreat fostering communication across disciplines, interaction with underrepresented undergraduates, and an industrial or academic internship. Broader impacts of the program include perparation of graduates who can utilize their discoveries to address global food, health, and environmental problems.
