Program Directors: Joseph Thornton, John Novembre, Lucia Rothman-Denes and Alexander Ruthenburg
Administrator: Melissa Williams
Phone: 4-5394
Openings: 16 Predoctoral, 0 Postdoctoral
This new interdisciplinary program will train a diverse group of exceptional graduate students to become future leaders in 21st Century genetics research. Students will receive rigorous predoctoral research training from world-leading scientists in quantitative, computational, and experimental approaches to answer fundamental questions in molecular, statistical, and evolutionary genetics. Training will ensure development of multidisciplinary competence across these fields, with a strong foundation in quantitative and computational analysis for every student. The training program leverages the world-class strength of the University of Chicago in genetics. Mentors include 57 faculty with extraordinary records of research and graduate training, drawn from 14 departments across the fields of evolutionary, statistical, and molecular genetics.
Trainees will be funded in years 2-3 of their studies, but they will participate in training and advising activities from matriculation through graduation. A new interdisciplinary core course and breadth requirements will develop student foundations in molecular, statistical, and evolutionary genetics and build strong skills in programming and statistics. Specialized workshops and an annual hackathon will provide further rigorous training in computational and quantitative analysis of modern genetic data. . Individual development plans, mentor-mentee contracts, faculty mentor training, and peer mentoring will facilitate trainee success and allow growth of a mutually supportive community of faculty and students. Participation in a pioneering career development program will support trainees in finding and preparing for a variety of post-PhD career paths.