REU Site: A Cyberlinked Program in Computational Biomolecular Structure & Design

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This REU Site award to Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, MD, will support the training of 12 interns for 10 weeks during each summer from 2023 to 2025. Research is conducted in various labs of the Rosetta Commons located throughout the United States and abroad. It is anticipated that a total of 36 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how interdisciplinary, collaborative research is conducted, and all will present their work at scientific conferences. Upon completion of the REU program, students will have gained an understanding of how to investigate biological problems from a structural perspective; experienced computational molecular design including artificial intelligence approaches; acquired a solid foundation in research methodologies in biochemistry, biophysics, computational biology, machine learning, and molecular engineering; gained skills to collaborate with other scientists and engineers in other laboratories globally; and gained a deeper appreciation for the contributions that improved technology in these areas can make to society. The program will be assessed using the online SALG URSSA tool. The NSF ETAP system will be used to register participants (https://www.nsfetap.gov/). Students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths. The research uses computational methods for prediction of the structure of biomolecules (which underlies their behavior and function) and the design of new biomolecules (important for materials, nanotechnology, and biotechnology). Example research projects include “Antibody engineering by deep learning,” “Protein design using generative methods,” and “Computational design of de novo proteins to control biological signaling.” The training program consists of a one-week bootcamp where students learn computer coding and structural biology, eight weeks of research in distributed labs (across the US and abroad), and a final week together at the annual Rosetta Conference. During the research period, students will complete an independent research project under the mentorship of a host lab, participate in weekly virtual journal clubs, prepare research proposals, and prepare a poster for presentation at the conference. All participants complete the Responsible Conduct of Research course. REU applications are reviewed and chosen by an admissions committee consisting of Rosetta Commons members at all career levels. More information about the program is available by visiting www.rosettacommons.org/intern, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Jeffrey J. Gray at jgray@jhu.edu) or the program administrator (Ms. Camille Mathis at cmathis@jhu.edu).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.