ABSTRACT: 2015 ELATE Institutional Action Project Poster Symposium
Project Title: Transforming a PhD Factory: Preparing students for life at and beyond the bench
Name and Institution: Mary Bryk, Texas A&M University
Collaborators: Faculty, students and staff of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics,
including the Graduate Program Committee, Drs. Jen Herman, Jim Hu, Tatyana Igumenova,
Craig Kaplan, Bill Park, Jim Sacchettini, Paul Straight, Junjie Zhang, Mr. Rafael Almanzar, Mr. Dan
Brown and Ms. Debbie Gau; Dr. Karen Butler-Purry, Associate Provost, Graduate & Professional
Studies; Dr. David Reed, Associate Dean, Graduate Programs & Faculty Development; Dr. Glen
Laine, Vice President for Research; Dr. Katie Stober, Associate Director, Career Center.
Background, Challenge or Opportunity: Over the past 20 years, reduced support for scientific
research in the US has decreased growth in areas where life sciences PhDs have traditionally
obtained careers, namely higher education and industry. The lack of positions in traditional
arenas has forced life sciences PhDs to explore careers beyond academia and industry. Life
sciences PhD programs need to evolve in order to thrive in these challenging times. My IAP
focuses on modernizing and enhancing the Biochemistry doctoral program at Texas A&M to
provide students with training and skills that support their future success, and to increase
funding of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Potential benefits will be broad,
impacting students, faculty, and others in my college, my university and beyond.
Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this project is to transform the Biochemistry PhD program
at Texas A&M into a top program in the US that meets the needs of students and faculty. A
process for revision of our program will be created, tested and publicized, thereby providing a
model for use by other graduate programs. The objectives are to develop, implement and
publicize a process to modernize the Biochemistry doctoral curriculum that successfully reduces
time to degree, supports the future goals of our graduate students, and puts elements in place
that make the Biochemistry program competitive for pre-doctoral funding.
Methods/Approach: I am working on this project as co-Chair of the Graduate Program
Committee in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M University.
1. In fall 2014, I wrote a process for review and revision of the Biochemistry doctoral
program with thoughtful input from faculty and graduate students in my department.
2. Members of the Graduate Program Committee have initiated work on all steps of the
Biochemistry doctoral program review and revision process.
3. I have met with university administrators and staff to gain support for the initiatives of
the project and to promote sustainability of its objectives.
Outcomes and Evaluation: Texas A&M uses Academic Analytics to evaluate scholarship.
Annual results will be evaluated to determine if our program is improving in areas that reflect
excellence in student training and scholarship. The numbers and quality of student applications
and acceptances will be compared before and after revision of the doctoral program. Predoctoral fellowship awards will be tracked. Being awarded a training grant to support our
doctoral program will be an indicator of success. Surveys will determine if students are using
and finding value in professional development programs. PhD students will be tracked to
determine time to degree and surveyed to assess how well our program prepared them for
their chosen career path.
Transforming the PhD Factory: Preparing students for life
at and beyond the bench
Mary Bryk, PhD,
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Presented at the 2015 ELATE® Leaders Forum
Challenges and Opportunities
Reduced support for scientific research has decreased
growth in areas where life sciences PhDs have
traditionally obtained careers, namely higher education
and industry. PhDs are forced to take careers outside of
academia and industry. The situation has prompted the
question, ‘Are we producing too many PhDs?’.
Doctoral programs need to evolve to meet needs of
modern PhDs and thrive in these challenging times. My
IAP focuses on modernizing and enhancing the
Biochemistry doctoral program at Texas A&M to provide
students with training and skills that support their future
success, and to increase funding for the program.
By Jessica Polka, ASCB COMPASS points, April 11, 2014
Collaborators
Faculty, students & staff of the Department of Biochemistry &
Biophysics, the Graduate Program Committee, Drs. Jen Herman,
Jim Hu, Tatyana Igumenova, Craig Kaplan, Bill Park, Jim
Sacchettini, Paul Straight, Junjie Zhang, Mr. Rafael Almanzar, Mr.
Dan Brown & Ms. Debbie Gau; Dr. Karen Butler-Purry, Associate
Provost, Graduate & Professional Studies; Dr. David Reed,
Associate Dean, Graduate Programs & Faculty Development; Dr.
Glen Laine, Vice President for Research; Dr. Katie Stober,
Associate Director, Career Center
Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of this project is to transform the
Biochemistry PhD program at Texas A&M into a top notch
program that supports the needs of students and faculty.
The objectives are to develop and implement a process
to modernize the doctoral curriculum that successfully
reduces time to degree, supports the future goals of our
graduate students, and puts elements in place that make
the program competitive for pre-doctoral funding.
Approach
Collaboration, transparency, and communication
• Develop plan with input from faculty and students ✓
• Include short-term wins ✓
• Revise and integrate coursework ✓
• Review assessments of milestones ✓
• Equalize TA workload ✓
• Encourage individual development plan to create a
framework that sorts out interests and options ✓
• Connect with resources in career counseling and
professional development on campus ✓
• Publicize graduate student professional ✓
development opportunities on website and by email
• Invite PhDs in non-traditional careers as speakers for
departmental seminar series
• Develop graduate tracking database ✓
• Use social media to highlight our former students
• Develop connections between NSF REU, lab
management and graduate programs to strengthen
training grant application
• Write and submit a competitive pre-doctoral training
grant application
Met with university administrators to gain support for the
initiatives and to promote sustainability of objectives ✓
Alignment with Strategic Priorities:
Strengthen our Graduate Programs &
Elevate our Faculty, and their Teaching,
Research and Scholarship
• Increase graduate student enrollment
• Increase coordination with pipeline programs, e. g.
REU and LSAMP programs, in recruiting
• Increase financial support for graduate students
• Enhance opportunities for graduate student
professional development
• Promote excellence in research and scholarship
• Increase research funding from competitive state
and federal sources
Next Steps
• Revise and integrate coursework – faculty groups
• Develop plan for the creation of individual
development plan
• Use web and social media tools to advertise
professional development resources and
highlight former students
• Invite speakers for alternative careers seminars
• Prepare training grant application
Key Measures of Success
•
•
•
•
•
Enrollment of highly qualified students
Shortened time to degree
Pre-doctoral fellowships/training grant
Increased funding in department
Employment of graduates in career of choice