Graduate Training Program in Quantitative and Chemical Biology at Indiana University Bloomington

Thirty-two collaborative training faculty from the Departments of Chemistry, Biology and Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, and interdepartmental programs in Cell, Molecular and Cancer Biology (CMCB) and Neuroscience, request funding to renew our predoctoral training program at the chemistry-biology interface (CBI) in Quantitative and Chemical Biology (QCB) at Indiana University, Bloomington. Our training mission is to transform graduate education in the molecular sciences on our campus by facilitating interdisciplinary and collaborative research training in the chemical and biological sciences to address important problems in biology and medicine. We outline an evolving, innovative and forward- looking program that takes our trainees from mere technical proficiency in their chosen disciplines to the development of critical thinking skills across disciplinary boundaries and professional communication and leadership skills that will allow our trainees to thrive in the next stage of their careers. We couple a core didactic curriculum in chemical and physical biology through two 1.5 credit core courses, Introduction to Quantitative Biology and Measurement (CHEM C680) and Introduction to Chemical Biology I (CHEM C681) and QCB Journal Club (CHEM C689) to a topical collection of extracurricular programmatic elements that are organized nearly exclusively by QCB trainees under the leadership of two rotating QCB ambassadors. These programmatical activities include QCB Student-invited Seminar Series and QCB Evenings, a “super-group” research seminar series, and the annual Watanabe Symposium in Chemical Biology, which brings scientists to Bloomington from academia and industry to network with QCB trainees. Innovative programmatic elements include a trainee-run off-campus retreat and an e- learning/”flipped” classroom instructional approach used to bring prospective trainees “up to speed” on core didactic material and to significantly augment Plans for the Instruction in Methods for Enhancing Reproducibility and the Responsible Conduct of Research. We also outline an internship program for third-year trainees to help prepare them for a wide range of career paths after graduation. The program is directed by a Program Director and a Co-Program Director, each with complementary expertise in physical and chemical biology, and is overseen by a Steering Committee that includes preceptors from all five participating departments and programs. The Recruitment Committee is charged with all aspects of identifying and recruiting training grant-eligible students for support by the program in training years 2 and 3 or year 3 only. Our program enjoys strong financial support from the College of Arts and Sciences and the University Graduate School who have committed fifteen (15) matching slots over the five-year project period and significant matching funds for programmatic elements.