This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award represents a joint effort by Rutgers University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez to achieve a synthesis of engineering, chemistry, pharmacy, and food science in order to develop a doctoral training program in nanopharmaceutical engineering and science. Nanopharmaceuticals is an emerging area of science and technology comprising applications of nanotechnology for health-related goals that has attracted enormous interest by academics, government, and industry. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery holds enormous promise for increasing the pharmaceutical development toolbox. The intellectual merit and goal of this program is to impart trainees with a strong scientific foundation for carrying out research into the design and development of a wide array of nanotechnology-based biocompatible products that can improve drug delivery. A critical mass of skills and approaches from engineering, chemistry, food science, and pharmaceutics will be integrated to establish a cutting-edge multi-disciplinary training program focusing on understanding of nanopharmaceutical products, materials, and processes. Systematic application of experimental, computational, and theoretical methods will be used to develop a predictive understanding of drug nanomaterials, nanotechnology-based drug delivery mechanisms, and processes required to incorporate nanoscopic drug materials into engineered composites with controlled properties. Broader impacts of this project include the development of nanopharmaceuticals and broadening participation in this new field. An aggressive plan for recruitment and retention of a diverse group of students in science and enginering will be carried out at multiple levels. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.
