# Research Training in Chemistry and Chemical Biology

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $537,643

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The goal of this Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB) predoctoral training program is to foster research that
uses chemical strategies to understand and control fundamental biological processes. The program is
distinctive in that its orientation is to study molecules in living systems from a chemical perspective. The
program provides a rich venue for chemical research as it interfaces with biology by bringing together 51
investigators and resources from seven departments and three research institutes at UCSF. The research has
direct relevance to national priorities in human health and training the workforce and addresses central
problems in chemical biology including, molecular recognition, biomolecular structure prediction and
determination, protein design and engineering, signal transduction, protein trafficking, computer aided drug
design, synthetic chemistry, high throughput screening, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, systems
biology and quantitative approaches to measure cellular signaling. These studies use systems, ranging from
bacteria to humans and encompass technologies including chemical synthesis, crystallography, NMR
spectroscopy, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry and computational modeling. Approximately 10
students are enrolled annually after a rigorous application process that culminates in personal interviews. The
number of applicants has steadily increased to over 230 applicants in 2016. Under-represented minority
students now represent 18 percent of current students. Under-represented minority candidates and candidates
from disadvantaged backgrounds are actively sought in an extensive series of programs including the Science
Education Partnership and an undergraduate Summer Research Training Program. Program components
include: 1) rigorous didactic courses and a hands on training course; 2) lab rotations in three different labs; 3)
oral presentations by students on each lab rotation; 3) oral presentations of scientific information and
hypotheses defense via tutorial training with faculty in a journal club setting; 4) an intensive oral qualifying
exam; 5) individual thesis research and finally; 6) a dissertation seminar. The student to faculty ratio in the
program is approximately 1 to 1 and is supported by small class size to faculty ratios. A lively course on Ethical
Conduct of Science is mandatory. An extremely vigorous and high-quality weekly seminar series in which
recognized leaders in the field of chemical biology present their most recent research, supplement the training.
Ample time is provided for interaction with the speakers in one-on-one meetings with interested students in an
informal setting. Trainees also have a seminar series for presenting their research to CCB students and
faculty. Our graduates are well published and highly sought after in academia and industry. This trans-
disciplinary research training is carried out within an intellectually integrated and well-equipped collection of
mem...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9960505
- **Project number:** 5T32GM064337-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles Scott Craik
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $537,643
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9960505

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9960505, Research Training in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (5T32GM064337-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9960505. Licensed CC0.

---

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