Tri-institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology

Weill Medical Coll Of Cornell Univ, New York NY

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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. The Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology (TPCB) is an innovative graduate program that provides students with comprehensive training at the interface of chemistry, biology, and medicine. TPCB is unique in that it is offered jointly by three premier research centers with adjacent campuses in the heart of New York City: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medical College. This stand-alone, direct admission graduate program was established in 2001 as one of the first in the world to focus specifically on training the next generation of chemical biology researchers. Over the last 23 years, TPCB has established itself as a leading graduate program in chemical biology, with 109 PhD graduates and 53 current students (36 training grant-eligible, TGE). Students come from both chemistry and biology backgrounds and the program combines quantitative chemical training with deep insights into forefront problems in biomedical research. The program works with each student individually to ensure they have the resources necessary to thrive. All years, URG vs All Students 34 / 189 All years, URG vs TGE 32 / 105 Current, URG vs All Students 16 / 53 Current, URG vs TGE 15 / 36 = 41.6% The curriculum comprises two chemical biology courses created specifically for TPCB students, additional core and elective courses, a seminar course, lab rotations, student Research-in-Progress seminars, annual student-organized Tri‑I Chemical Biology Symposium and TPCB Student Career Development Retreat, and the Sanders Tri‑I Chemical Biology Seminar Series. Students receive extensive career development training and formal ongoing instruction in Responsible Conduct of Research and Rigor & Reproducibility. Students have opportunities to conduct PhD thesis research with 58 dedicated faculty mentors working across the spectrum of chemical biology with >$1M average annual funding. Students move seamlessly between the three campuses and have access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and rich scientific resources on all three campuses, providing extensive opportunities to pursue fundamental and translational research and to engage in multidisciplinary collaborations. Importantly, TPCB students are deeply involved in the organization and design of the training experience, and the program has evolved continuously in response to student feedback. As a result, TPCB students have been exceptionally productive, publishing over 580 scientific papers (average 5.4 papers/graduate), graduating in an average of 5.5 years. TPCB alumni have continued onto successful careers across the tenure track (15%), biotech (34%), pharma (8%), other labs (12%), and research-related careers (30%). TPCB receives strong support from the graduate schools but is still unable to admit all of the qualified candidates who apply. Thus, this NIGMS Chemistry–Biology Interface T32 training grant will enable further growth and enhancement of this successful training program and its broader impacts on the scientific community.