Training Program in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

The graduate Training Program in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCDB) is a student-centered interdisciplinary training program that includes 33 principal investigators from 4 departments, with 76 PhD students currently in training. The MCDB program is 1 of 4 training tracks within a larger umbrella program called the Program in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (PBSE). Students admitted into the MCDB Training Program can do research rotations with a wide range of PBSE faculty, thus gaining opportunities to explore an array of research topics and methodologies in biomedical sciences. MCDB students take core courses designed to foster independent and critical thinking, develop an understanding of key principles of research science, such as rigor and reproducibility, and build basic competencies needed for success in a variety ​​of careers. In addition, students take an ethics course, a grant writing course, a pedagogy course, a career planning course, and elective courses. The Program Director, an Associate Director, a Thesis Advisory Committee, and the Graduate Advising Committee closely monitor student progress during all parts of training and intervene as necessary to ensure retention and successful completion of the program. The average time to degree is 6 years. The most motivated and promising MCDB students are selected for Training Grant support based on their academic records and their engagement and performance in core courses and research rotations in their first year. Support is typically for years 2 and 3. We are requesting support for 12 students per year, but we note that all students in our program benefit from the high standards and goals of NIH-supported graduate programs and the innovations in mentoring and training that we have implemented to meet those standards and goals. The MCDB Training Program can point to a number of important achievements. We closely track career outcomes for our students, which shows that 96% of our graduates over the last 18 years have gone on to successful scientific careers. A complete restructuring of our core courses implemented in 2020 has kept them current, relevant and responsive to shifts in scientific and technical knowledge and educational practices. Together, these and other innovations have helped drive the success of our training program, which produces outstanding graduates who bring unique skills to the national biomedical science workforce.