Chemistry Biology Interface Training Program

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Project Summary The overall objective of the UCLA CBI Training Program is to educate a diverse group of scientists who will ethically lead rigorous research and training at the interface between chemistry and biology in the decades to come. Specifically, it is proposed that brilliant chemists who are amateurs in biology will be trained to identify and rigorously solve the most important problems in biology and be highly collaborative with biologists. Likewise, it is proposed that the biologist using a chemical technique as a black box will be converted into an expert who can identify new chemical approaches to solve their biological problems, and who are comfortable collaborating with chemists. The UCLA CBI Program provides this by breaking down the isolation between departments, and immersing trainees in state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research that spans the interface of chemistry and biology. The following specific aims are proposed: First, CBI will train graduate students in the language and techniques of research at the interface of chemistry and biology. Specifically, chemists will learn to be able to critically evaluate papers, be familiar with techniques and be able to rigorously discuss research topics in biology, and vice versa. Second, CBI will teach students the background to understand both the fundamentals and cutting edge research at the chemistry biology interface to enable them to distill this information in order to independently apply it to their own research and to develop new ideas. Third, CBI will enable students to hone their speaking skills and to work effectively in teams, especially with people in biology for chemists and vice versa. Fourth, the students will be instructed about ethical and responsible conduct of research so that they follow the ethical principals in their own research and hold these standards to others. Fifth, CBI trainees will be educated on the fundamentals of rigor and reproducibility in order to apply this to their own research and enable identification and interpretation of these factors in the work of others. Sixth and seventh, CBI will empower students to develop to their full potential professionally, providing them with all the tools necessary to make informed and successful career trajectory decisions and deliver additional mentoring and oversight on each trainee to enable them to graduate within the average time period for graduate students at UCLA. Eighth, CBI will provide an inclusive, supportive and diverse environment with approximately equal numbers of chemically and biologically oriented students, equal numbers of males and females, and 30% persons from underrepresented groups, as well as individuals with disabilities that have a strong identity as the UCLA CBI both as trainees and as alumni. To reach these aims a rigorous program of classes, training, and mentoring, coupled with recruitment and retention of persons from all groups and physical and learning abilities and a building of a strong UCLA CBI identity are proposed. An excellent team of world class faculty scholars is assembled who are also focused and serious about training and mentoring. UCLA provides extensive support and a large and diverse pool of excellent students to draw from to successfully reach these goals.