Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) (T32) at Rutgers University-Newark

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY The mission of the proposed IMSD Program is to increase the number of PhDs underrepresented in the diverse fields of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Neuroscience and Psychology who will proceed to postdoctoral research fellowships/positions, on a trajectory to enter the biomedical/behavioral research workforce. To accomplish this goal, our main program objectives are: 1) to foster in each of our IMSD trainees, efficacy in their chosen specialty, self- identification as a research scientist, and the self-confidence that they are integral, contributing members of their scientific community; 2) to develop our trainees’ technical and professional skills required to conduct research in an ethically responsible and rigorous manner; 3) to provide didactic, research, mentoring, and career development elements in preparation for a biomedical/behavioral research career; 4) to promote our trainees’ timely fulfillment of the institutional requirements for the Ph.D.; 5) to foster and facilitate every IMSD trainees’ appointment to a postdoctoral or scientific position in their specialty. The rationale for the current proposal is to build on the success of our prior IMSD/G-RISE training programs (33 PhDs in the last 15 years) and establish a new IMSD program that will seek to enrich and broaden training opportunities and diverse representation in biomedical sciences. A total of 10 students, primarily in their first years of graduate training, will be recruited from a broad pool of candidates. The following key activities comprise part of the design of the proposed IMSD Program: 1) Research Communication Workshop to develop the trainees’ skills in communicating their scientific research to a multidisciplinary audience, 2) Fellowship Writing Workshop to foster a knowledge base to develop a fellowship application, 3) Research Career Preparation seminar series and 4) Responsible Conduct of Research and Research Reproducibility seminar series. A mentor- training component is included in the proposed IMSD program with a balance between established and early career investigators. The proposed program measurable outcomes are: 1) Earning the PhD degree; 2) Applying for at least one predoctoral fellowship, 3) Successfully vying for a postdoctoral position or related biomedical position by the completion of the doctorate. Taken together, the proposed IMSD Program will continue the development of a successful training program aimed at fostering the entrance of the trainees into fields of behavioral/biomedical research in which they have been traditionally underrepresented.