RNA Science and Technology in Health and Disease - The T32 renewal application for training in “RNA Science and Technology for Health and Disease seeks to continue and further evolve the highly successful RNA Fellows Program at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). The RNA Fellows Training Program has the goals of (1) rigorously preparing Ph.D. students for RNA related careers in academia, government, industry, and public service organizations, (2) providing communication and business-related training and corresponding opportunities to refine scientific soft skills and (3) offering an environment that facilities leadership training, student growth and well-being. Our training program brings together faculty from The RNA Institute and Departments of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry and Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Our RNA Fellows plan and execute RNA centric doctoral research projects that extend from the fundamental biology of RNA detection, RNA in gene-expression and cell signaling, and RNA in health and disease, to technology innovation at the interfaces of biology, chemistry, computation, nanoscale engineering and informatics. Trainees take flagship RNA courses and choose a training track from either (1) Entrepreneurship and Industry or (2) Publicizing Science, which are coordinated with the University at Albany’s School of Business and the renowned New York State Writers Institute. Seminars from high profile RNA scientists, course- and workshop-based skills training in ethics, reproducibility, well-being, and career development are offered. Outside lunch speakers that highlight a breadth of scientific careers provide RNA Fellows with further training and opportunities to network. Our distinctive T32 training grant prepares students to harness the current state and future potential of RNA science and technology by cross-training in computational, chemical, molecular, nanoscale science, and public health disciplines. In this past T32 cycle and using a generous match from SUNY, we have trained 55 RNA Fellows and launched them to exciting careers in industry, academia, and government. The evolution of our 39-training faculty, incorporation of individualized development plans (IDPs) and new career-focused events will allow us to continue to provide RNA Fellows with state-of-the art training and placement in a wide range of positions. We will utilize summer experiences for students, social media, our annual symposia and monthly science meetings to recruit to our program.
