# Molecular Biophysics Training Grant at Vanderbilt

> **NIH NIH T32** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $482,056

## Abstract

The application of quantitative approaches to study biology and medicine is an essential underpinning for
the advancement of biomedical research. This proposal requests support for the Molecular Biophysics
Training Program (MBTP) at Vanderbilt University, which is now nearing the end of its sixth cycle of NIH
funding. The goal of our MBTP is to train students to work at the interface between quantitative molecular
approaches and key problems in biology and medicine. The MBTP operates in a unique niche, providing a
deeper grounding in the physical sciences for trainees who have a life sciences background, and a more
thorough exposure to the life sciences and medicine than is usual for students with a physical sciences,
mathematics or engineering background. Although the program draws its training faculty from 7 different
departments, it is rooted in an established network of common research and training activities. The number
of 74 current students associated with the MBTP is > 2.5 times the number (27) from 15 years ago.
Moreover, 14 of the current trainees (19%) are from groups that are underrepresented in science.
Together, our trainees, the 25 Training Faculty, the scientific staff, and postdoctoral fellows make for a
highly collegial and collaborative community. Beyond a personally designed curriculum, trainees meet
along with the entire MBTP community for a minimum of two formal research seminars and one informal
gathering each month. The scope of research spans the range of modern molecular biophysics, from
understanding the principles of protein folding, to structural characterization of membrane proteins, to
defining the action of multi-protein cellular machinery, to investigating the movement of biomolecules into,
out of, and within cells. Research projects involve a broad spectrum of physical, biochemical, and
computational approaches, including x-ray crystallography, NMR, EPR and fluorescence spectroscopies,
small angle scattering, cryo-electron microscopy, cell imaging and molecular/cellular simulations. Many
trainees utilize multiple approaches. Trainees join the MBTP in their first year of graduate training after
choosing a thesis laboratory, with most supported for two years and some for one year. This grant support
specifically covers time needed for additional specialized didactic training and the initiation of thesis
research. However, all trainees (and their preceptors) remain active in MBTP program activities throughout
the duration of their graduate training. Overall, the MBTP enriches each student's research and training
experience and is designed to foster the development of the next generation of independent biomedical
scientists.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9967013
- **Project number:** 5T32GM008320-32
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** WALTER J. CHAZIN
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $482,056
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1989-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9967013

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9967013, Molecular Biophysics Training Grant at Vanderbilt (5T32GM008320-32). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9967013. Licensed CC0.

---

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