Bio-Tech Leadership Program

Biochemistry Division, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology

Local Biotechnology Industry (Boulder Area)

The University of Colorado at Boulder offers a popular predoctoral research training program, "Integrated Training for Biotechnology Leadership." The program leads to the Ph.D. degree and is designed to provide an integrated, interdisciplinary training that encompasses modern molecular biology, biochemistry, and biochemical engineering. It prepares students to address critical problems that must be solved if the transfer of basic biological research to commercial biotechnology applications is to occur effectively and efficiently. The primary goal of the training program is to help students acquire the skills and credentials to undertake crossdisciplinary research in modern industrial, academic, and government biotechnology research laboratories and the perspective to serve as leaders in the continued advancement of beneficial applications of modern biology.

The training program has four primary components:

• Interdisciplinary lecture and laboratory coursework
  The biotechnology curriculum includes two interdisciplinary biotechnology core courses (Introduction to Modern Biotechnology and Biotechnology Case Studies), plus elective graduate courses in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and bioengineering. The bioprocess engineering and biochemical separations courses also include laboratory exercises to give students "hands-on" experience with the concepts covered in lecture. In addition to choosing courses from the biotechnology curriculum, each student must satisfy the coursework requirements of his or her home department (biochemistry, chemical engineering, or mcd biology).
• Laboratory rotations and industry internships
  During their first year of graduate study, students choose laboratory rotations from opportunities in their home departments and in the other two participating departments. Students also choose from internship opportunities at local biotech companies (usually during the summer). The goals of these rotations and internships are for the trainees to learn a wide variety of laboratory and computational techniques associated with modern biotechnology practices, and to gain an appropriate balance of basic and applied biotechnology research experiences and perspectives. In addition, they help the students to make informed choices of thesis advisors and projects.
• Crossdisciplinary thesis research
  Trainees choose to perform thesis research related to biotechnology themes such as enzyme mechanisms, gene expression, cell culturing, bioreactor design and analysis, product purification and stability, protein and nucleic acid structures and properties, biomaterials, tissue engineering, and delivery of human pharmaceuticals. The thesis committees are multidisciplinary, and include approved members from industry where appropriate.
• Special activities for building perspective for leadership
  Supplemental to the classroom and laboratory training are special activities aimed at teaching students to be leaders and to have initiative and be creative. These activities include: teaching assistantships (learning experiences that provide beneficial training for future researchers, educators, and leaders); seminars (to enhance research discussions and sharing perspectives on leadership); symposia (to gain perspective and communication, organizational and leadership skills); and discussion groups (to prepare students to formally and informally interact with other scientists and engineers). Biotechnology students also organize the Biotechnology Student Summer Seminars (BS³) each summer.

The Participating Departments and Local Biotechnology Industry:

• Chemical Engineering
  The Department of Chemical Engineering has 16 faculty members. Eight of these have research programs in biotechnology and bioengineering: motion of cells in fluids with applications to the analysis and design of bioreactors and cell separators; in vitro transcription of ribonucleic acids; biophysics; biomaterials; mathematical modeling and experimental studies of cell growth, plasmid stability, protein expression, recombinant bacterial fermentations, and mammalian cell culture; biological separations using membranes or fluidized beds; protein stability and behavior in nonaqueous environments; tissue engineering; drug delivery; and computer-aided optimization and control of fermentation processes. Other research areas in the Department include ceramics, fluid dynamics, heterogeneous catalysis and surface science, polymers, process control, and membrane separations. The Department is well-equipped with ten fully-instrumented fermentors, a flow cytometer for individual cell studies, an electron paramagnetic spectrometer for protein studies, a phosphorescent gel imager for nucleic-acid studies, a scanning electron microscope, and several microfilters, sedimentation chambers, centrifuges, incubators, microscopes, chromatography columns and other items for biotechnology research.
• Division of Biochemistry
  Biochemistry is a semi-independent division of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Biochemistry has 13 tenured or tenure-track faculty. The Biochemistry Division has strong research programs in gene expression and regulation, RNA processing and splicing, nucleic acid chemistry, kinetics and mechanisms of enzymes, bacterial ice nucleation, biophysics, chemistry of hemoglobin, and NMR spectroscopy for the determination of structure and dynamics of proteins and nucleic acids. Biochemistry shares with Chemistry well-equipped facilities to aid in research, and has recently completed construction of a new addition to house laboratories, instrumentation facilities and classrooms.
• Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
  The Department of MCD Biology has 26 tenured/tenure-track faculty. Research programs concentrate on understanding the molecular basis of life by integrating molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics. Particular strengths include gene expression and regulation, microtubule structure and function, growth and differentiation of cultured animal cells, and development of model organisms. The Department also houses several auxiliary facilities and services available to students for their research: electron microscope suite, million-volt electron microscope, microchemistry facility, photography/graphic arts studio, animal care facility, monoclonal antibody laboratory, and computer equipment, software & support services.
• Biotechnology Industry
  The Boulder area has several biotechnology companies that are well-positioned to participate in the biotechnology training program. Thus far, the biotechnology training program has established cooperative relationships with the following local biotechnology companies: Adolph Coors Co. (fermentation and microbiology); Amgen Boulder, Inc. (molecular biology research, process engineering, and automated sequencing and synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids); Baxter Health Care (bacterially-derived synthetic hemoglobin); Cortech, Inc. (immunology and medical applications); Hauser Laboratories (purification of natural products); NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (applications of ribonucleic acids); REAADS Medical (immunoassay tests); Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (applications of catalytic ribonucleic acids); Roche Pharmaceuticals (pharmaceuticals); and Xenometrix, Inc. (biologically-based toxicity assays). The Boulder division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (protein separations, biological property determinations) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (microbial fermentation of biomass, algal production of fuels and chemicals) also participate in the program.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Financial support (monthly stipend and tuition) is available in the form of assistantships, fellowships, and traineeships. These funds are available from federal, university, state, and industrial sources. Applicants to the program are automatically considered for financial support as well as admission. In addition, funds are available for students to participate in symposia, field trips, and industry internships.

SELECTION OF CANDIDATES

Outstanding applicants with backgrounds in biochemistry, biology, engineering, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics are encouraged to apply. Each applicant must choose one of the participating departments as a "home" department and then be accepted by the Graduate Admissions Committee of that department. Any graduate student accepted by one of the three home departments may participate in the biotechnology training program. Each student completing this program receives a PhD degree from his or her home department and an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Biotechnology from the Graduate School.

Students will be selected on the basis of GPA, GRE scores, quality of undergraduate program, letters of recommendation and essays. Students from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

THE UNIVERSITY AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITY

The University of Colorado has traditionally been one of the strongest teaching and research centers in the nation. It has a student body of 25,000 on the Boulder campus and is composed of sixteen schools and colleges offering advanced degrees in 120 fields. The graduate student body numbers about 5,000. The campus is within sight of the Flatirons, a spectacular series of rock formations that represent the first rise of the Rocky Mountains above the Great Plains.

The city of Boulder (population 90,000) is characterized by mild winters and sunny, dry summers, a beautiful natural environment and a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Boulder's commitment to a pleasant, well-planned community attracts a variety of individuals to the area. The city is a center of high technology enterprise and cultural activity, and is a year-round haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Boulder's location 25 miles northwest of Denver (the capital of Colorado) affords access to a wide range of activities including excellent museums, fine shopping, major musical performances, theatre, and a convenient international airport.