New Trainee Application

Eligibility

  1. To be eligible to apply, students must be US citizens or permanent residents.
  2. Be enrolled in a Ph.D. program and performing their thesis research at the molecular and cellular level in a Trainers lab.
  3. Be in their first year of graduate school at the time of applying.

Application Timeline

  1. Application call is sent out to Program trainers and also to first year graduate students in the following five graduate groups affiliated with the MCB T32 training program - BMCDB, IGGG, MCIP, MICRO, and NSC.
  2. Application deadline is in the first week of May.
  3. Program Interviews take place in the last week of May.
  4. Trainees who are selected are announced by the second week of June.

Application materials

A complete application includes an abstract, research project plan, and an evaluative letter from mentor ( and co-mentor, if applicable).

Application materials should be uploaded at this URL : https://www.mcb.ucdavis.edu/tg

  • Research abstract 
  • Research project plan - The research plan should describe 
    • a) Proposed research ( 750-1000 words), 
    • b) Previous research experience
    • c) short personal statement 
    • Research project plan addressing all three sections (a, b, and c) should be 2 pages long and uploaded as a single PDF file. 
  • An evaluative letter from the mentor. 
  • An evaluative letter from a co-mentor for students in Assistant Professor labs. The co-mentor should be an experienced trainer in the MCB T32 training program.
  • NIH Biosketch and Other support page from faculty who are not trainers in the MCB T32 Training Program.

Faculty should login with their kerberos ID, enter their student's ID number, and directly upload the evaluative letters. The biosketch and other support page can also be uploaded directly on the application site. 

Note for faculty - Please remember to enter your student's ID number when prompted so your uploads can directly attach to your student's application.

Around 20 applicants will be interviewed by the selection committee during the last week of May. For the interview, applicants are expected to give a 10 minute whiteboard talk on their research proposal that conveys the significance of their project, discuss their hypotheses, and cover their experimental approach. Trainee selection is based on the entire application and interview process.

Program Responsibilities

  • Attend and participate in the BCB 298 course (Quantitative Approaches in Molecular Biology/Rigor and Reproducibility) for 6 quarters during their second and third years of graduate school.
  • Attend and participate at the annual training program retreat.
  • Participate in career enrichment and networking and activities.
  • Participate in, invite, and host seminar speakers for the Joint Seminars in Molecular Biology Series in their third year.
  • Develop, annually update, and follow an Individual Development Plan (IDP), working in conjunction with their mentor.
  • Provide documentation that they have received systematic, formalized training in the Responsible Conduct of Research that conforms to NIH requirements (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-10-019.html), or complete this training within the first year of their appointment. 

Note that these responsibilities continue until the completion of a Trainee’s PhD.