Sensory Mechanisms and Disorders

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The goal of the Sensory Mechanisms and Disorders Training Program is to prepare an exceptional pool of predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees for successful careers as basic or translational scientists in the auditory, vestibular, and chemosensory sciences. A key challenge for research training in the sensory sciences is the broad scope of expertise needed to investigate biological systems that extend from the sensory periphery to the highest levels of the brain and from single molecules to human behavior. Our Training Program addresses this challenge by uniting trainees with 23 training faculty representing an array of disciplines. This enables us to provide innovative, cross-disciplinary, and highly effective training in mechanisms and disorders of hearing, balance, taste, and olfaction. Training is based in one of the 12 academic departments and degree-granting graduate programs in which the 23 training faculty are affiliated. Predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees receive cutting-edge research training in the labs of the training faculty, and this training is enriched by the activities and requirements of the Training Program. Our affiliated faculty provide outstanding training in each of their corresponding disciplines: bioengineering, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, neurophysiology, developmental biology, systems and behavioral neuroscience, and human psychophysics. Cross-disciplinary integration is made possible by the Training Program through: a) weekly seminars relevant to hearing, balance and chemical senses from leading experts in these fields, plus trainee lunches with seminar speakers; b) trainee seminars with mentor feedback and mentor-facilitated journal clubs; c) advanced courses in sensory systems; d) exposure to clinical research issues in Otolaryngology and clinical/translational resources available at the University of Michigan Medical School; e) formal mentoring activities, including written mentoring plans, Individual Development Plans, and opportunities for trainees to mentor others; f) required professional development workshops to enhance career-related skills; and g) formal training in the responsible conduct of research and methods to enhance reproducibility, with training reinforced through multiple other programmatic activities and in-lab mentoring. There is a strong emphasis on mentoring for career success, which is fostered by faculty and trainee participation in a newly formed, statewide mentor bureau. Support for 4 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral trainees is requested. Predoctoral trainees will be selected from a large pool of highly qualified graduate students in the training faculty's affiliated departments and programs. Interest and motivation for research in sensory systems will be an important selection criterion. Postdoctoral trainees (PhD, MD, or DDS) will be selected from a large pool of applicants with a strong commitment to sensory biology and promising research backgrounds.