Graduate Training in Molecular Biophysics

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Seventeen outstanding research groups at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center have created an interdisciplinary graduate student training program in Molecular Biophysics (MB). The expertise of the training faculty spans a wide range of research techniques and biological systems, from biophysical chemistry and bio-molecular spectroscopy to structural and computational biology. Each PI is dedicated to exploring complex biological processes at the molecular level, and the experimental focus ranges from thermodynamics to kinetics, from single molecules to multi-component complexes, and from soluble to membrane-bound systems. This diversity will provide trainees with the breadth of research and course offerings and the depth of understanding that ensures a successful training program in MB. The MB faculty members have established productive, externally-funded, and well-equipped research programs in the MB area, and have been successful in mentoring and training graduate students. The MB training faculty members have primary appointments in five different departments, but share a strong history of collaborative interactions in research, in teaching, and in journal clubs. The graduate programs associated with individual departments have demonstrated their ability to recruit outstanding students from across the United States for graduate study, and MB recruiting will complement these efforts. Trainees will enter the MB program and receive their Ph.D. degrees through one of two departments. Three new students will receive an MB fellowship each year, and each will be supported for the initial two years of Ph.D. study. In the first year, each student will do three laboratory rotations prior to choosing a research advisor from the MB faculty, regardless of his/her departmental affiliation. During the initial two-year period, MB trainees will receive formal training in the fundamental biophysical and biochemical principles, the responsible conduct of research, and the interpretation and presentation of research results. Advanced training in various aspects of molecular biophysics will be provided by elective courses. Trainees will participate in the biophysics journal club throughout their graduate careers, both to improve their presentation skills and to maintain a sense of participation in the program following the second year. We anticipate that graduates of the MB training program will be well-positioned to make critical contributions to the biomedical sciences in the post-genomic era.