Bogi Andersen (left), UCI professor of medicine and biological chemistry, and Anand Ganesan, UCI professor of dermatology and biological chemistry, are co-directors of the new, interdisciplinary skin biology training program, designed to develop the next generation of interdisciplinary research physicians and scientist leaders in academia and industry. Steve Zylius / UCI

A team from the UCI Skin Biology Resource Center has been awarded a five-year, $970,000 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to launch an interdisciplinary skin biology training program. Designed to develop the next generation of interdisciplinary research physicians and scientist leaders in academia and industry, the program takes advantage of the expertise of UCI faculty in the areas of skin biology, systems biology and imaging. “The goal is to develop skin biologists who will integrate bioengineering, imaging and computation into their work to help make new discoveries in skin biology,” said Bogi Andersen, a UCI professor of medicine and biological chemistry who co-directs the program with Anand Ganesan, a UCI professor of dermatology and biological chemistry. The grant will fund three graduate students and one postdoctoral fellow, who will pursue a cross-disciplinary project at the intersection of skin biology and either systems biology, bioengineering or imaging, guided by a skin biologist and a mentor from a complementary field. The program includes laboratory-based research, lectures, weekly data presentations, a seminar series and a yearly symposium, as well as career development activities tailored to trainees’ specific interests and career goals. The grant will be administered by UCI’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.