IRES: Cross-disciplinary Computational Biology Training

This project aims to enhance the education and skills of U.S. graduate students in computational biology through a series of three Advanced Studies Institutes (ASIs) held annually from 2025 to 2027. The ASIs will be hosted in Singapore, a major research hub for Southeast Asia, known for its high-impact scientific research. Each two-week-long ASI will focus on interactive, hands-on training in advanced computational biology topics, with a curriculum designed to address the growing need for expertise in this field. Each ASI will use a single biological system (e.g., the glucocorticoid receptor gene and protein) to connect presentations, work, and hands-on instruction related to three computational biology areas of focus: Computational Genomics, In silico Ligand-Protein Interaction, and Computational Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. The ASIs will provide participants opportunities to engage in small group projects, receive instruction from international experts, and develop connections with peers and academic and industry researchers from Southeast Asia and the U.S. Funding for Southeast Asian student participation will be provided through regional and local funding sources. The project supports the national interest by enhancing the scientific workforce of the U.S. by providing needed education in advanced computational biology topics and fostering international collaboration for U.S. graduate students. The project emphasizes recruitment of students from underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, and students from rural regions and EPSCoR states. The computational biology field is growing rapidly and U.S. researchers need to be adept in a global context. These ASIs prepare U.S. students by offering diverse, hands-on training and build upon a structure previously proven successful and offer a blend of didactic instruction and project-based learning. Participants work in small groups (both peer-to-peer and expert-small group) on a common project related to the workshop theme biological system and on personal projects they proposed in their applications, fostering accountability and collaboration. The ASIs provide instruction related to the three computational biology focus areas and include the latest developments in artificial intelligence as applied to computational biology. The project involves collaboration with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) and leverages their high-impact research environment. The ASIs include industry talks to broaden participants' perspectives, expand their scientific network and prepare them for careers in industry. An independent evaluator assesses participant feedback annually to ensure continuous improvement of the ASIs. Participants are selected through a competitive process, with many participants chosen from rural regions and EPSCoR states; recruitment efforts include working with professional organizations for women and minorities. The leadership team comprises experts from academia, government, industry, and international consortiums, all experienced in computational biology training. 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.