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

在过去的二十年里，基因组科学中许多极具影响力的研究都来自于国际性的跨学科项目。该项目建立了一个项目，帮助培养下一代基因组科学领域的领导者，使他们成为具有国际合作研究经验的跨学科研究人员。该项目建立在杜克大学与以洪堡大学（Humboldt University）为首的四所柏林院校之间牢固的现有关系基础上，也建立在负责培训的几位教员之间富有成效的合作历史上。该项目的核心内容是由杜克大学的研究生在柏林主持为期2-3个月的实验室小组访问。这些访问的目的是将学生嵌入到一个实验室小组中，提供互补的概念和技术方法，同样，提供作为团队为基础的国际研究项目的一部分的工作经验。最近，德国研究机构（DFG）为德国方面的一个补充项目提供了资金，提供了一个完全对等的交流项目。学生不仅将受益于该计划提供的物理和人力资源的综合优势，他们将通过真正的协作学习和研究环境获得宝贵的方法技能，领域专业知识和批判性思维经验。我们的长期目标是帮助他们成为正在进行的生物学向定量学科转变的未来领导者，对基因组学如何影响人类生活的许多方面产生长期影响。本提案中描述的项目建立了杜克大学和四个柏林机构（由洪堡大学领导）之间的国际合作，这将为美国研究生提供一个无与伦比的机会，通过三个互补领域的研究，在生物系统的背景下获得基因组功能和基因调控的定量理解：(1)高通量基因组学和编辑，(2)生物信息学和机器学习，(3)发育系统生物学。该提案的资助将使杜克大学的12名研究生在三年的时间里在合作机构从事研究。参与的学生将前往柏林大约三个月，以便在东道主科学家的指导下从事研究。学生将获得宝贵的国际经验，在方法论和批判性思维方面的重要培训，以及在合作机构的职业发展经验，从而受益于两所学校的专业知识。学生将由一个论文委员会共同指导，该委员会包括来自两个地点的计算和生物专家。量身定制的课程将支持学生在上述三个重点领域之间建立桥梁，并获得重要技能，为他们未来在学术界和工业界的前沿职业生涯做好准备。学生不仅将受益于物理和人力资源相结合的优势，他们将获得宝贵的方法技能，领域专业知识和批判性思维的经验，通过一个真正的协作学习和研究环境，以成为未来的领导者，在生物学向定量学科的持续转变中，对基因组学如何影响人类生活的许多方面产生长期影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.