Molecular Biophysics Training Program at Northwestern University

The core mission of the Molecular Biophysics Training Program (MBTP) at Northwestern University (NU) is to train the next generation of pre-doctoral students in the highly interdisciplinary field of molecular biophysics that seeks to describe and explain biological phenomena using fundamental physical, chemical, and mathematical principles and seeks to leverage this knowledge to develop new medicinal therapies and engineer new biomedical tools and applications. As the sole training program at NU dedicated to this area, for 30 years MBTP has played a key role in strengthening intellectual ties and stimulating interdisciplinary collaborations between program preceptors, catalyzed by student trainees, spread over seven departments in the schools of arts & sciences, medicine, and engineering. Six pre-doctoral student trainees in their second and third years of graduate education from seven feeder graduate programs will be recruited to and supported by the training program for a maximum of two years since it would allow the program to have the greatest impact on career development as they complete the required coursework, learn to think critically, frame research questions independently, acquire and hone the requisite technical skills to answer these questions while developing operational skills to be effective communicators and researchers. Every trainee will complete a core biophysics curriculum established by the program that would allow students from diverse backgrounds to share a common didactic experience. Trainees will have numerous opportunities to develop and hone oral presentation skills at a variety of program-sponsored forums that range from intimate settings including journal clubs and research-in-progress meetings held every month to larger audiences at the monthly intramural seminars and the annual symposium. Monthly seminars and annual symposia featuring external speakers, who are also thought leaders, will not only provide trainees with opportunities for broadening and deepening knowledge in the field but also for networking and career advancement. The overarching goal of MBTP is to prepare pre-doctoral students of exceptional promise in the early stages of their scientific careers to conduct rigorous, reproducible research in molecular biophysics by facilitating the development of not only those skill sets needed to advance science generally but also those unique to the field that require deep analytical and quantitative reasoning as well as expertise in the application of cutting-edge technologies to solve complex biological problems. The overarching goal of the program is to set students on a trajectory towards independence in thought and action with skills that are compatible with a spectrum of productive, intellectually-demanding careers in academia, industry and beyond, following graduation.