This month, the University of Iowa’s Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing (CBB) – a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Research – launched a new five-year training program to meet the increasing demand for interdisciplinary-educated PhD scientists in the pharmaceutical and other biotechnology industries.
To help the CBB in this new endeavor, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded the department $425,555.
“This new Iowa Biotech Training Program builds upon 32 years of success with a previous T32 training grant supported by the NIH and CBB, which helped to launch numerous stellar careers,” said principal investigator Maria Spies, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and CBB associate director. “Centered on student growth, success, and a nurturing, interdisciplinary environment, our T32 program will train future leaders in biotechnology-related research and will equip them to succeed in a range of industries.”
The T32 training grant includes research activities with mentors, as well as training in grant writing, publishing, and career planning.
Under the program, trainees receive a hands-on introduction to industrial methods, an academic look covering qualitative and quantitative aspects of biotechnology, preparation for professional life in biotechnology and other diverse training opportunities.
Over the course of the five-year award, 40 trainees will receive mentorship from a host of faculty from four University of Iowa colleges and 10 academic departments. The NIH will fund 24 trainees, and the CBB will support 16 trainees directly.
Included in the leadership team is Michael Schneiders, professor of biomedical engineering, who will serve as the director of industry internships, and CBB Director Mark Arnold, Edwin B. Green Professor in Laser Chemistry.
“This award will have an immediate impact on the training of predoctoral students interested in careers in the field of biotechnology,” Mr. Arnold said. “A unique feature of this award is the opportunity for each fellow to experience an industrial internship designed to expose them to biotechnology research and biomanufacturing in the industrial sector.”
All trainees continue in the program until graduation, and support is available for up to two years. Participants will be selected at the end of their first year in graduate school.
