UCLA Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program
Application 2013-2014
ATTENTION: UCLA Graduate Students
The Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Predoctoral Research Training Program at UCLA is an NIH-funded program
designed to provide research training in the area of chemical approaches to the solution of biological problems. Students
selected to participate in this program are trained in the language and techniques of biological and chemical sciences and
gain experience as members of multidisciplinary teams working on frontier research at the chemistry-biology interface.
Program: Open to trainees working with CBI Training Faculty members and enrolled in Ph.D. programs in Chemistry
and Biochemistry; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics; Molecular,
Cell, and Developmental Biology; Molecular and Medical Pharmacology; Bioengineering; Public Health and Physiology.
The traineeship provides a stipend during the second, third, and fourth years of graduate study. The major components of
the training program are (1) the core course, "Introduction to the Chemistry of Biology"; (2) a one-quarter internship in an
area complementary to the student's central research area; and (3) the Chemistry of Biology Seminar program that
includes presentations by students as well as outside speakers. The program also includes ethics training, quarterly
Chemical Biology colloquia, the MBI/CBI Arrowhead Retreat and an annual symposium. Additional information on the
training program can be obtained by contacting the Program Administrator, Genevieve Lee, 4505A Molecular Sciences
Building, (310) 206-9005 or email (glee@chem.ucla.edu). Application Deadline: May 16, 2013.
Participating Faculty: Forty nine faculty from the Departments of Biological Chemistry; Chemistry and Biochemistry;
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics; Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology; Molecular and Medical
Pharmacology; and Physiology are the Training Faculty in the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program. Their
affiliations and research areas are described briefly on the next page and in more detail in the graduate brochures and
websites of the participating departments. Students in Chemistry and Biochemistry should find a Life Science Training
Faculty member to act as Collaborator, and Life Science students should select a Chemistry-Biochemistry Collaborator.
The Collaborator is typically the outside-the-department member of the graduate student's committee.
Eligibility: The training program is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National
Institutes of Health, which limits eligibility to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Non-permanent residents can be
nominated and selected as Associates, who participate in all CBI activities, but must be supported financially from TA
and RA funds. The applicant should be a Ph.D. student with a CBI Training Faculty member and at the end of their first
year of graduate study. Applications by persons in under-represented groups are particularly encouraged.
Awards: Awards are for three years, as long as the trainee continues to participate in all CBI activities. A stipend is
provided by the NIH, which must be supplemented by the research advisor to the level of a Research Assistantship in the
trainee’s department. The NIH funds provide tuition and fees (including health insurance).
Selection: Selection is based on progress and achievement; prior academic record; recommendations from the student's
research advisor and two additional faculty members or science mentors; and a statement of purpose prepared by the
prospective trainee. The Executive Committee selects and guides the trainees.
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Participating Training Faculty Members
Jeff Abramson
Jorge Barrio
Physiology
Mol. & Med. Pharm.
Associate Professor
Professor
Steven Bensinger
Path. & Lab.
Medicine, Mol. &
Med. Pharm.
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Membrane protein structure and function
RNA processing and RNA-protein interactions
Ins. For Molecular
Medicine
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Bioengineering
Chem. & Biochem.;
Biol. Chem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Professor
Interconnection of growth factor signaling and cell metabolism
Professor
Director, Professor
Professor
Chair, Professor
Professor
Distinguished
Professor, Professor
Professor
Medicine
(Pathology)
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Public Health/Envir.
Health Science
Mol. & Med. Pharm.
Biological Chemistry
Path. & Lab. Med.
Professor
Biosynthesis and regulation of coenzyme Q
Biochemistry of aging, metabolic regulation
Biomolecular recognition
Transcriptional control in development; ubiquitin-like proteins
Biological and biomemetic materials based on polypeptides
Study of proteins by X-ray diffraction and computational methods;
bioinformatics
Conformational studies of nucleic acids using multidimensional
NMR techniques
Iron homeostasis in health and disease
James Bowie
Guillaume
Chanfreau
Heather
Christofk
Catherine Clarke
Steven Clarke
Robert Clubb
Albert Courey
Tim Deming
David Eisenberg
Juli Feigon
Tomas Ganz
Neil Garg
Robin Garrell
Hilary Godwin
Thomas Graeber
Feng Guo
Oliver
Hankinson
Patrick Harran
Kent Hill
Kendall Houk
Jing Huang
Wayne Hubbell
Steven Jacobsen
Michael Jung
Carla Koehler
Ohyun Kwon
Beth Lazazzera
Chem. & Biochem.
Microbio., Immun.,
& Mol. Gen.
Chem. & Biochem.
Mol. & Med. Pharm.
Chem. & Biochem.,
Jules Stein Eye Inst.
Mol. Cell & Devel.
Biology
Chem. & Biochem.
Joseph Loo
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Microbio., Immun.,
& Mol. Gen.
Chem. & Biochem.
Heather Maynard
Chem. & Biochem.
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Associate Professor
Associate Professor
Prof, Dir Mol Tox
IDP
Professor, Cram
Chair
Professor
Professor, Winstein
Chair
Associate Professor
Distinguished
Professor
Professor,
Invesigator
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Associate Professor
Professor
Membrane Protein Crystallography
In-vivo probes for gene expression, dopaminergic mechanisms and
Alzheimer’s Disease
How lipid metabolism influences the growth of rapidly dividing
normal and neoplastic tissues
Synthetic organic chemistry
Proteins on surfaces; biophysics; spectroscopy
Metal ions in biological systems; molecular mechanism of lead
toxicity; environmental chemistry
Systems biology of cancer signaling
Heme and microRNA maturation
Chemical carcinogenesis, hypoxia and disease
Small molecule inhibitors
Mechanism and biology of flagellum-mediated cell motility in
African trypanosomes
Theoretical organic chemistry and biochemistry; enzyme design
Chemical biology, functional genomics and proteomics
Molecular mechanisms of membrane transduction, particularly
visual
DNA and histone methylation
Total synthesis of biological active natural and unnatural products,
medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry
Mitochondrial biogenesis
Organic synthesis and chemical genetics
Mechanisms of cell-cell signaling and cell-cell adhesion in bacteria
Proteomics, mass spectroscopy, elucidation of protein complexes
and protein structures, analytical chemistry
Associate Professor Biomaterials
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Sabeeha
Merchant
Craig Merlic
Diane Papazian
Gregory Payne
Chem. & Biochem.
Professor
Metal metabolism for membrane biogenesis
Chem. & Biochem.
Physiology
Biol. Chem.
Systems of biology of cancer signaling
Structure, function, and assembly of Shaker K+ channels
Protein and membrane traffic
Matteo Pellegrini
Mol. Cell & Devel.
Biology
Microbio., Immun.,
& Mol. Gen.
Medicine
(Neurology)
Chem. & Biomol.
Eng.
Medicine
(Neurology)
Chem. & Biochem.
Chem. & Biochem.
Biol. Chem.
Associate Professor
Professor
Vice Chair,
Professor
Associate Professor
April Pyle
Michael
Sofroniew
Yi Tang
David Teplow
Jorge Torres
Joan Valentine
Geraldine
Weinmaster
Shimon Weiss
Chem. & Biochem.
James
A.
Wohlschlegel
Ernest Wright
Todd Yeates
Medicine (Biological
Chemistry)
Physiology
Chem. & Biochem.
Hong Zhou
Microbio., Immun.,
& Mol. Gen.
Asst. Professor
Bioinformatics of gene expression, epigenetics, and signal
transduction
Mechanisms regulating cell fate in human embryonic stem cells
Professor
Neural injury and repair
Professor
Natural product discovery, biosynthesis and engineering
Professor in
Residence
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Physical biochemistry and biology of amyloid proteins
Professor, Willard
Chair
Assistant Professor
Single molecule biophysics
Professor
Professor
Professor
Mitotic Spindle Assembly
Transition Metals, Metalloenzymes, and Oxidative Stress
Cell-cell interactions; Notch signaling
Proteomic and Biochemical Strategies for understanding the role of
ubiquitin and SUMO-regulated protein networks
Structure and function of cotransporters
Three-dimensional structure and function of proteins by X-ray
diffraction
Structure and function of molecular complexes, viruses and cellular
machineries
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UCLA Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program
Application 2013-2014
Please return completed materials to:
Genevieve Lee, Program Administrator
4505A Molecular Sciences, Mailcode: 156905
Please also send a pdf of the application to her at: glee@chem.ucla.edu.
Application Deadline: May 16, 2013
Applicant’s Name:
(last, first, middle initial)
Department: __________________________________
Year: _________
Home Address:
Lab Address:
(include mail code)
Home Phone:
Lab Phone:
E-mail Address:
Student I.D. Number:
Citizenship Status (US citizenship or permanent residence status required)
U.S. Citizen
California Resident:
Permanent Resident
Yes
No
Have you previously received a National Research Service Award:
Yes
No
Are you an underrepresented minority (voluntary response):
Yes
No
Are you or have you been physically disadvantaged (voluntary response):
Yes
No
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Education (College and University, beginning with most recent)
Institution, Department and Location
Major
Minor
Dates
Attended
Degree Date Received
or Expected
List all academic honors, including fellowships and scholarships:
List your publications, including the titles of all research papers published, in press, submitted for publication or
in preparation.
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Proposed Research Sponsor:
E-mail Address:
Campus Address:
Proposed Research Collaborator*:
E-mail Address:
Campus Address:
This should be a second UCLA faculty member who can provide mentoring and collaboration from the
chemical perspective for trainees with primary research in a biology field, or from the biological side for
trainees with primary research in chemistry.
Tentative Thesis Topic:
Please summarize, in 250 words or less, 1) your proposed research activities and their relevance to your training
at the chemistry-biology interface, and 2) your tentative plans for your research internship. These plans should
be formulated in consultation with your research sponsors and approved below.
I approve the proposed research activities described above.
Primary Research Sponsor’s Signature
Date
6
List the names, titles/departments, institutional addresses, and phone numbers of two professional references
(other than your sponsor) from whom you are requesting Applicant Evaluation Forms:
Applicant’s Checklist: Please submit the following with your application.
Copy of undergraduate college transcripts.
Graduate school transcript.
GRE scores showing percentile ratings. These need not be original records; copies are acceptable.
Proposed research activities signed by research sponsor (page three of application).
AND remember to:
Give one Applicant Evaluation Form to your mentor and one Applicant Evaluation Form to two other
professors or professional references.
If the one-, two-, or three-year predoctoral institutional award for which I am applying is granted, I agree to
participate in the formal classes and/or activities sponsored by the program.
Applicant’s Signature
Date
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