# Tissue microenvironment (TIMe) training program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2022 · $183,867

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
A quantitative understanding of the tissue microenvironment (TiMe) is critical for advancing biomedical
knowledge and healthcare, ranging from regenerative medicine to managing the burden of cancer. To train
productive scientific leaders, education in three technological areas is essential: (a) sensing and imaging to
measure biochemical and biophysical properties, (b) bioengineering to recapitulate the TiMe, and (c)
computational modeling and analytics to gain insight. Accordingly, we propose to continue the TiMe training
program wherein predoctoral students integrate the three technological approaches with TiMe-related biological
contexts of disease and development to launch successful research careers. Training includes four core
components—Curricular Activities to ensure technical depth and critical thinking with apposite breadth across
disciplines, Extracurricular Activities to develop pragmatic skills, Professional Development to empower trainees
to become research leaders, and Career Development to position trainees to make lifelong contributions to
society. The activities are structured to streamline education and efficient focus on research with the awarded
doctoral degree to include a special designation (concentration in TiMe). This past project period was our first
and progress was made in establishing the program, its activities and evaluation to refine it further. Building upon
the success of trainees (all ten graduated are in biomedical research careers, ~5.5. papers per trainee, and
significant follow-on funding and awards), we propose to continue student development activities, add a novel
hands-on education component based on a newly constructed laboratory and emphasize emerging scientific
topics including machine learning and design thinking. Illinois has exceptionally strong disciplinary programs,
diverse faculty spanning the program, appropriate facilities and unique resources in each of these technological
areas. The TiMe Training Program is distinctly advantaged by our strong history of successful graduate training,
including a commitment to diversity and individuals with disabilities, a culture of productive collaboration, a new
Department of Bioengineering, and strong institutional support (matching direct support - $1.5 M and $2.9 M of
total support). Forty faculty will serve as faculty mentors and another four, with expertise in pedagogy, evaluation
and professional development, provide critical resources for the program. We propose to educate at least twelve
trainees (six from NIH support and six matching slots from Institutional support) for up to two years each. Six
trainees will be appointed annually from a strong applicant pool across campus. Traditional education will further
be enhanced by co-mentored research with possibilities of translational opportunities via a new engineering-
based College of Medicine. Outcomes will be rigorously evaluated throughout the program to improve training,
...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10403514
- **Project number:** 5T32EB019944-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Rohit Bhargava
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $183,867
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-04-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10403514

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10403514, Tissue microenvironment (TIMe) training program (5T32EB019944-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10403514. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*