# Chemistry of Life Processes Predoctoral Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $289,234

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The mission of the proposed “Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) Predoctoral Training Program” is to educate
the next generation of transdisciplinary scientists that will be capable of extending and integrating the
perspectives and approaches of the life sciences and chemistry to complex scientific problems in the field of
biomedical research. The complex problems encountered across length and time scales in treating disease
require a broad repertoire of skills along with the capacity to harness teams possessing a range of diverse
expertise to advance the discovery of new therapeutics and diagnostics. In order to address the pressing public
health needs of the 21st century, the next generation of researchers must be able to think and communicate in
a common language that spans chemistry and biology.
Renewal of the CLP Predoctoral Training Program will address this need by providing Northwestern University
graduate students with the opportunity to integrate graduate studies in chemistry and the life sciences to a degree
beyond that of any training program currently active at Northwestern University. The depth and breadth of its
coursework requirements, novel immersive cross-disciplinary lab experience, and unique mentoring structure of
the CLP program, coupled with a strong shared training environment, set this program apart from other
Northwestern training programs in biomedical research. The program is built upon the highly collaborative,
transdisciplinary biomedical research programs of 49 mentors with extensive expertise in the areas of drug
development, synthetic biology, and potential molecular targets for therapeutic intervention.
This application requests support for a total of 40 training slots over five years to create a vibrant cohort of
peers with a common identity in sufficient numbers to support student-driven program activities. Trainees are
appointed to the grant starting in the fall of their second year and are supported throughout the course of the
second and third years of graduate education. Eight students will be supported annually in years 01-05. Ten
additional students will be supported by one-year university fellowships.
Northwestern's Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, the administrative home of the proposed training program,
provides CLP trainees with a robust ecosystem for transdisciplinary research and training that is comprised of a
highly collaborative team of faculty that span chemistry and the life sciences, unique shared resources that
provide a seamless pipeline for drug discovery and development, an enabling infrastructure with expertise in
development and management of education and training programs, extensive experience in translation of
discoveries for the good of society, and a physical environment that drives transdisciplinary collaboration and
interaction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9965951
- **Project number:** 5T32GM105538-08
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** RICHARD B SILVERMAN
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $289,234
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9965951

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9965951, Chemistry of Life Processes Predoctoral Training Program (5T32GM105538-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9965951. Licensed CC0.

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