IRES Track 1 IRTG Engaged in Dissecting and Reengineering the Regulatory Genome

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

Much of the highly impactful research in genome sciences over the past two decades has come from of international, interdisciplinary projects. This project establishes a program to help prepare the next generation of leaders in genome sciences to be interdisciplinary researchers with experience in collaborative, international research. The program builds on strong existing ties between Duke University and four Berlin institutions led by Humboldt University, and on a history of productive collaboration between several of the faculty who will carry out the training. The centerpiece of the program involves 2-3 month-long visits by graduate students from Duke University to host lab groups in Berlin. The goal of these visits is to embed students in a lab group that provides exposure to complementary conceptual and technical approaches and, equally, to provide experience in working as part of a team-based, international research project. Funding for a complementary program on the German side was recently awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), providing a fully reciprocal exchange program. Students will not only benefit from the advantage of combined physical and human resources that this program provides, they will gain valuable methodological skills, domain expertise, and experience in critical thinking through a truly collaborative learning and research environment. Our long-term goal is to help them become future leaders in the ongoing transformation of biology into a quantitative discipline, with a long-term impact on how genomics affects numerous aspects of human life. The program described in this proposal establishes an international collaboration between Duke University and four Berlin institutions (led by Humboldt University) that will offer U.S. graduate students an unparalleled opportunity to obtain a quantitative understanding of genome function and gene regulation within the context of biological systems through research within three complementary areas: (1) high-throughput genomics and editing, (2) bioinformatics and machine learning, and (3) developmental systems biology. Funding of this proposal will enable up to 12 graduate students from Duke University to engage in research at a partner institution over a three-year period. Participating students will travel to Berlin for approximately three months in order to engage in research under the mentorship of a host scientist. Students will obtain valuable international experience, significant training in methodology and critical thinking, and career-building experiences at the partner institution, thereby benefitting from expertise at both sites. Students will be co-advised by a dissertation committee including computational and biological experts from both sites. A tailored program will support the students in bridging the three emphasis areas identified above and acquiring important skills to prepare them for future careers at the cutting edge of academia and industry. Students will not only benefit from the advantage of combined physical and human resources, they will gain valuable methodological skills, domain expertise, and experience in critical thinking through a truly collaborative learning and research environment in order to become future leaders in the ongoing transformation of biology into a quantitative discipline, with a long-term impact on how genomics affects numerous aspects of human life. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.