NIH funding will support graduate students in ‘gateway’ year of systems biology Ph.D. program

The National Institutes of Health has awarded UCI $1.2 million to fund graduate students in the mathematical & computational biology “gateway” year into the Ph.D. program. Participants, who receive full financial support, are trained in the principles of biology, mathematics, engineering and computer science. The ultimate goal is to equip students from varied educational backgrounds for research careers in the emerging interdisciplinary field of systems biology. “I am very impressed with the successes of the graduate program in MCB,” said Kenneth C. Janda, dean and professor of physical sciences. “Providing an integrated experience of this type is exactly what’s needed to best prepare the next generation of academic leaders to confront current research challenges in the biomedical sciences, and this NIH grant will further facilitate this process.”