Molecular Biology Across Scales Training Program

University Of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. Molecular Biology Across Scales (MBAS) is a new multidisciplinary predoctoral training program that will develop the next generation of researchers discovering how molecules, cells, and tissues interact to create life and how this information can advance human health. MBAS will be the only graduate program at the University of California, Berkeley that supports broad-based training rather than specialization within a particular discipline. This perspective has driven many recent transformative biological discoveries. MBAS will draw students and faculty from the Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB) Graduate Program, uniting those who tackle fundamental research problems at length scales from individual molecules to complex biochemical systems to whole organisms. It will appoint 40 students (20 first-year trainees annually for a two-year term) encouraging each to explore a range of research fields and identify those that engage their passion. Students will publish a first-author paper and graduate with a mean time to degree of 5.5 years. The curriculum will impart broad conceptual knowledge, creative and critical thinking, mastery of experimental logic and methods, application of quantitative approaches, rigorous analysis and interpretation of results, clear communication of findings, and incorporation of responsible, safe, and ethical practices. Students will choose trained mentors from a faculty of 75 nationally recognized leaders who represent a wide choice of research areas, use state-of-the-art facilities, and work in a multidisciplinary, and collaborative environment. MBAS will provide training, oversight, and support for participating faculty, and will carefully monitor the progress of its trainees. Students will be supported with peer learning communities, rigorous and clear expectations, expert advising, and a program design that offers options for filling gaps in preparation. Innovative training elements include new courses and enhanced content in responsible conduct of research and reproducibility, quantitative biology and data science, lab safety, and scientific writing. New programs will be piloted and evaluated to benefit all MCB trainees. Professional development, experiential learning, and career counseling will prepare trainees for research-related careers in academia, industry, government, and beyond. In sum, MBAS will provide an early and persistent emphasis on multidisciplinary training, centered around the student experience, for a flexible and individually directed path to a successful career in the biomedical workforce.