Predoctoral Training in Genetics and Molecular Biology

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The Genetics and Molecular Biology (GMB) Training Program at Princeton University educates carefully selected individuals for the research, teaching, and advocacy needs of the nation. The GMB Training Program brings together the multi-disciplinary life science community at Princeton, which has a 57-member training faculty who are currently mentoring 126 graduate students, 103 postdoctoral fellows, and 109 undergraduate majors. Our program is highly collaborative and we train our students with the skills to become leaders in any field they choose. The 36 training faculty from the Department of Molecular Biology include 6 with joint appointments in the Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics (LSI) and 5 with joint appointments in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI). The GMB training program also includes 5 faculty from Chemistry, 6 from Chemical & Biological Engineering, 3 from Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2 from Computer Science, 2 from Physics, 1 from Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and 2 Institute professors (1 from LSI and 1 from PNI). The faculty provides expertise in diverse biological systems and offers training in genetics, genomics, biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, cancer, cell biology, development, microbiology, immunology, and neuroscience. All of the faculty focus on model systems appropriate for training on a Genetics and Molecular Biology training grant. We receive approximately 350 applications to our graduate program per year and we attract some of the best students in the country. Research is performed in well-equipped laboratories with support from state-of-the-art core facilities. The training program consists of formal course work, laboratory rotations, a general exam, thesis research, thesis committee meetings, Individual Development Plans, and an array of special activities that enhance the formal education and provide our students with expert speaking and writing skills and exposure to the full breadth of career possibilities. In addition, trainees gain teaching experience and receive broad training in responsible conduct of research. We have developed a Diversity Program that is highly successful in identifying and recruiting students from groups that are under-represented in the life sciences. Indeed, our gender and racial demographics match that of the nation and we have sustained those demographics for nearly a decade. As part of our Mentorship Program, we have developed activities that benefit all students. Routine evaluation of the GMB Training Program involves both faculty and students and enables us to identify needs for new courses, policies, and activities that keep the program fresh. Its success is best judged by the productivity and success of our graduates, more than 90% of whom are actively engaged in science-related careers. Our GMB program thus nucleates the vibrant multi-disciplinary research community at Princeton and delivers scientists who have been broadly trained and provided with the interdisciplinary perspective and cross-disciplinary skills they need to solve tomorrow's problems.