# Bacteriology PhD Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2020 · $352,657

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This application requests funding to support 8 second- and third-year graduate students in the Harvard
Graduate Program in Bacteriology (GPiB). The goal of this program is to train highly skilled experimentalists
firmly grounded in the logic and rigor of the scientific method and, from that base, empower them to identify
and pursue the challenges and opportunities of modern bacteriology. The GPiB builds upon more than a half-
century of successful research and training in bacteriology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Harvard
TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH). At the heart of this inter-school program is a vibrant and supportive
community of microbiologists that draws its strength from decades of scientific exchange, active collaborations,
training successes, and long-standing friendships. The GPiB harnesses the camaraderie, mentorship, and
infrastructure of this community and combines it with coursework, program-specific activities, and dissertation
research. Trainees in the 22 program faculty labs investigate topics ranging from gene regulation and cell wall
biogenesis to the molecular underpinnings of drug resistance and its spread through populations. Students
enter the GPiB through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program at HMS or the Biological
Sciences in Public Health (BPH) program at HSPH and are selected for the program based on their expressed
interest in the GPiB during their first year of graduate school and their choice of dissertation laboratory.!The
GPiB supplements the broad and successful training of the BBS and BPH umbrella programs with focused
coursework in basic bacteriology, pathogenesis, and the host response. Two required bacteriology classes use
primary literature to teach students to be critical readers and thinkers while developing skills in experimental
design and communication. Additional training in quantitative methods is also required. Coursework and
research are combined with career mentorship focused on transferrable skills including problem-solving,
communication, and collaboration. The GPiB also provides a collection of resources and events that help
trainees identify future career opportunities. Importantly, the success of our trainees and the program as a
whole are not taken for granted. A novel set of surveys that monitor trainees and their mentors inform regular
program assessments. The Harvard microbiology community is a diverse, passionate, and tight-knit group of
scientists and the GPiB ensures that the rigor and commitment of this community will support the training of
generations of successful bacteriologists.!

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9924440
- **Project number:** 5T32AI132120-04
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID Z RUDNER
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $352,657
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-19 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9924440

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9924440, Bacteriology PhD Training Program (5T32AI132120-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9924440. Licensed CC0.

---

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