# Pathways in Biological Sciences Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2024 · $1,446,945

## Abstract

The Pathways in Biological Sciences (PiBS) Training Program at UCSD is a new T32 Training Program
evolved from the successful 40+ year Cell and Molecular Genetics (CMG) Training Program. PiBS will provide
an enhanced practices pathway to produce leaders in diverse biology careers, including academic and
industrial research, education, writing, consulting, and policy. Trainees will be a select subset of 30 UCSD
Biological Sciences PhD students, conducting research in a variety of pressing problems in foundational and
translational biology by the use of mechanistic molecular approaches. Students will be invited to become PiBS
Trainees at the end of their first year, soon after choosing a thesis advisor, for a two year PiBS-supported
period, followed by maintained Trainee status for the remainder of their PhD. PiBS will instill and amplify six
core competencies needed for success, including critical thinking, knowledge acquisition, experimental ability
with emphasis on rigor, reproducibility and quantitation, effective communication, leadership tools including
team building, networking, and collaborative problem solving, and career development. To this end, the PiBS
program will conduct a variety of Trainee-specific activities: yearly one-on-one meetings with the PiBS Director,
BGGN290 - a class for in-depth analysis and critique of invited seminar speakers, a twice-yearly public
colloquium of Trainee research presentations, a yearly Trainee-organized Symposium of invited leaders from a
chosen field, a scientific writing workshop, a path-to-career workshop, career networking guidance, an
inclusive mentoring workshop, a white-board “jam” to enhance clear low tech exposition of science, and “One
Book-One Program”- an annual group discussion of a mutually chosen book. The PiBS Directors actively
participate in selection and stewardship of Training faculty who can serve as PhD mentors for PiBS Trainees.
This will include training of PiBS faculty in dedicated and inclusive mentoring and ongoing assessment of their
effectiveness. The PiBS mission includes oversight mechanisms to evaluate the success and effectiveness of
the PiBS program with particular emphasis on evaluating our PiBS training faculty, to ensure our vision of
involvement, inclusion, best-practices mentoring, rigorous scientific approaches, and effective impartation of
the core competencies required for Trainee success. PiBS Trainee outcomes will be clearly documented,
continuously curated, and fully available to Trainees and the Division of Biological Sciences through web-
based resources to best self-assess our progress and to inform future Trainees about the most impactful
choices for their individual career goals. The PiBS mission is deeply dedicated to maximizing the diversity of
the Trainee pool to provide opportunities to the broadest pool of talented students; we strive to create high
cultural diversity in the Trainee experience, both to immediately foster distinct and creative view...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10907718
- **Project number:** 5T32GM133351-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Daugherty
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,446,945
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10907718

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10907718, Pathways in Biological Sciences Training Program (5T32GM133351-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10907718. Licensed CC0.

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