Molecular Biology and Genetics: Signaling, Epigenetics and Genome Maintenance - The biomedical workforce research needs of our society have increased in size and diversity. We have the responsibility to help train the next generation of scientists, not only to feed the research needs of academia and industry, but to train inspiring college science faculty, effective research administrators, science policy makers, medical writers and scientific editors, business and financial analysts, science consultants, big bioscience data managers as well as other future essential biomedical research jobs. Thus, our graduates will need to be equipped with abilities for rigorous critical thinking, develop an interdisciplinary perspective, learn to analyze complex sets of data, develop complex research approaches utilizing complex equipment while maintaining the mental flexibility to keep up with the fast pace of biomedical research exploration and application. The overall goal of this predoctoral program is to offer exceptional interdisciplinary training opportunities in the broad area of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics with special interest in cell signaling, epigenetics and genome maintenance. Members of this interdisciplinary program include faculty from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM), who are mentors in the Cancer Biology and Genetics (CBGN) and the Molecular and Cellular Biosci- ence (MCBS) concentration clusters. While there are many traditional programs that offer training in each of these three areas, this program will provide students with the tools and perspectives needed to consider how these three highly disease-relevant fields intersect. The focus for this training proposal was chosen primarily to reflect the presence of multiple leaders in these fields in the CBGN and MCBS clusters. This proposal will support research training opportunities in the labora- tories of 36 Assistant, Associate and full Professors. Mentors in this program bring strength in multidisciplinary programs in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics and epigenetics, using state of the art approaches in confocal and TIRF microscopy, mass spec proteomics, structural biology, molecular mod- eling, bioinformatics, high throughput screens, genomics, and epigenomics using a variety of animal and cellular model systems and human samples. Mentors in this program have a long tradition in the training of both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with very high academic standards and will receive additional training in mod- ern evidence-based mentoring practices. This program will further provide a broader understanding of disease mechanisms and will develop in the trainees an in-depth understanding of the clinical challenges associated with their research interest area. Upon graduating, we are confident that this unique interdisciplinary training experi- ence will make our students not only highly competitive for future positions in academia, industry, science college education, research administration, science policy and advocacy, technology transfer, science and medical writ- ing and scientific editing, business and financial analysis, science consulting, big bioscience data managing and a broader array of future biomedical research jobs.
