NSF-IGERT Graduate Traineeships in Computational Molecular Biology


IGERT Graduate Trainee Handbook Fall 2007
IGERT Graduate Trainee Handbook Fall 2006


Traineeships

Iowa State University offers two-year PhD traineeships.  New Mexico State University offers both one-year MS traineeships and two-year PhD traineeships. To be eligible for a traineeship, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  Traineeships provide:

  • $30,000 annual stipend
  • paid tuition, fees and health insurance
  • funds for textbooks and scientific journals, computer software and hardware, professional conferences, short courses, internships, travel and related expenses

Training Opportunities

  • joint mentoring by biologists and computational scientists
  • core courses in molecular and computational molecular biology
  • faculty research seminars
  • student research seminars
  • training in scientific ethics
  • annual ISU-NMSU joint symposia
  • participation in national and international scientific meetings
  • research rotations in "wet" and "dry" laboratories
  • research internships in industry and government laboratories
  • opportunities for international training experiences

Traineeship Application Process

  • Identify the graduate major you wish to pursue at ISU or NMSU.
  • Submit your application materials to the graduate department or program of your choice.  You need not submit a separate traineeship application.
  • Graduate programs nominate top candidates for IGERT traineeships.
  • An IGERT panel reviews nominations and awards traineeships.
  • Selection criteria include academic performance, research experience, statement of purpose, application letters of recommendation and GRE.
  • ISU and NMSU are committed to diversity.  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Training Timeline

Year 1:

  • lab rotations
  • lab selection
  • ramp-up coursework
  • scientific ethics
  • faculty seminar
  • student seminar

Year 2:

  • core coursework
  • research
  • scientific ethics
  • faculty seminar
  • student seminar
  • begin advanced courses

Year 3:

  • advanced coursework
  • research
  • MS degree or PhD qualifying examination

Years 4 and 5 (for PhD students):

  • research
  •  thesis development

Internship Opportunities

International Opportunities