About

Overview

The purpose of the Molecular Biophysics Training Program is to provide a truly transformative training experience in molecular biophysics for graduate students from all three relevant programs, one which will draw students from disparate background into more formal biophysics training within a coherent community.

Goals and Values:

  • Excellence
  • Collaboration and interdisciplinarity
  • Building one molecular biophysics community
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Career development

Grant Information

  • Five years of support from the NIH
  • Two trainees will be supported in the first year, four in subsequent years
  • Stipend
  • Partial tuition (60%)
  • Travel support ($300)
  • Program activities

Ohio State University Commitment

  • Graduate School will provide 40% tuition matching
  • Colleges will provide stipend supplements
  • Colleges will provide two positions per year for students from underrepresented groups
  • Colleges will provide two additional positions in the first year
  • Firm commitment from the College of Arts and Sciences, others may participate
  • Departments will provide $9000 for symposium and workshops
  • Departments will provide $300 travel for matched positions

Participating Programs

MBTP Trainees must come from one of the following three programs in order to meet curricular requirements.

  • Biophysics Graduate Program
  • Ohio State Biochemistry Program
  • Chemistry Program - Biochemistry Division*

*Only students in the Biochemistry Division within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are eligible to apply to become an MBTP trainee.

Structure and Governance

Executive Committee and Program Coordinator

3 Principal Investigators: Ralf Bundschuh, Jeff Kuret, Tom Magliery

Local Steering Committee

3 Trainers: Carlos Castro, Claudia Turro, Vicki Wysocki

External Advisors

3 External Faculty: Juliette Lecomte (Johns Hopkins University), Scott Strobel (Yale University), Dave Thirumalai (University of Texas at Austin)

Program Faculty

Chemistry & Biochemistry: Rafael Bruschweiler, Jimmy Cowan, Ross Dalbey, Mark Foster, Christopher Jaroniec, Dmitri Kudryashov, Steffen Lindert, Tom Magliery, Karin Musier-Forsyth, Kotaro Nakanishi, Hannah Shafaat, Sherwin Singer, Marcos Sotomayor, Claudia Turro, Vicki Wysocki

Molecular Genetics: Guramrit Singh, Jian-Qiu Wu

Physics: Ralf Bundschuh, Comert Kural, Michael Poirier, Dongping Zhong

Biological Chemistry & Pharmacology: Charles Bell, Jeff Kuret

Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics: Richard Fishel

Pediatrics: Will Ray

Biomedical Engineering: Gunjan Agarwal

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering: David Wood, Jessica Winter

Mechanical Engineering: Carlos Castro
 

Annual Reporting

Trainers and trainees must agree to to provide annual reports on activities as requested, including for five years post-graduation for trainees. Specific information for proposal tables (funding, publications, etc) will be requested annually of program faculty.

Review and Mentoring of Faculty

  • A senior mentor from MBTP will be appointed for assistant professors
  • Annual discussion of trainers with review and EAC comments in years 2 and 4

Program Evaluation

  • Annual self-study by ExComm to LSC, EAC
  • EAC will coe to Ohio State in years 2 and 4
  • John Lewis from BioOhio will join the review in years 2 and 4 regarding career development
  • Last workshop of each year will be parallel sessions with trainers and trainees to request feedback and discuss best practices