Interdisciplinary research in the areas of cell/molecular biology and engineering has attracted considerable attention in recent years, and is emerging as a critical field at the frontiers of scientific, engineering, and biological research. Because of these developments, there is an urgent need to educate engineers about biology, and to educate biologists about engineering, thereby training the next generation of researchers in this emergent field.
Three successful Short Courses have already been held, at MIT (2006), National University of Singapore (2007), and Caltech (2008). Based on the widely recognized success of these three short courses, the National Science Foundation has agreed to provide financial support for an additional five covering a range of topics. These short courses represent a collaborative effort among several US institutions (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MIT, Georgia Tech, University of Texas at Austin, and Caltech) and with participation from a variety of foreign institutions (e.g., Cambridge University in UK and National University of Singapore). The objective of these Short Courses is to educate researchers and graduate students in the fundamentals of cell and molecular biomechanics and to facilitate interactions among engineers, biologists and clinicians.
Through these Short Courses, we will train a new generation of researchers with in-depth knowledge of mechanics and biology and help engineers and biologists apply biomechanical approaches in biomolecular, cellular, tissue-level, animal-model studies. Experts from engineering and biology will be invited to give lectures on basic knowledge in mechanics and in biology as well as state-of-the-art research topics. Participants, including graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members from both engineering and biology, will learn the research tools and methods in each other’s field. The summer schools will also provide an environment for the participants to explore potential collaborations on topics of mutual interest. For additional information, dates, and topics, please see the following link:
GEM4 will enable the brokering of engineers, life scientists and medical professionals with shared facilities and joint students and post-doctoral fellows to tackle major problems in the context of human health and diseases that call for state-of-the-art experimental and computational tools in cell and molecular mechanics, biology and medicine. Broad examples of problems addressed include:
In each of these areas, the initial emphasis will include (but will not be limited to) molecular, subcellular and cellular mechanics applied to biomedicine, where a single investigator or institution is not likely to have the full spectrum of expertise, infrastructure or resources available to cover fundamental molecular science all the way to clinical studies and societal implications. It is envisioned that, at steady state, up to ten institutions in North America, Europe and Asia will participate in this effort, focusing on mechanistic studies, as well as novel methods for diagnostics, vaccines or drug development and delivery.
Funds have been raised to provide a structure for coordinated studies from major organizations under the umbrella of GEM4. These funds will be used for:
GEM4 offers several post-doctoral fellowships for those who generate significant activities and innovation across institutional and disciplinary boundaries.
These scholarships, whose terms are similar to those of the usual NUS Graduate School for Integrated Sciences National Graduate School scholarships, will be for a maximum period of 4 years. Candidates must commit to a PhD degree. The GEM4-NGS scholar will receive his/her PhD from NUS. They will be registered under NGS and will follow the NGS curriculum requirements.
The student will be expected to work at an overseas laboratory of one of the GEM4 member institutions for a minimum period of one year and a maximum period of two years during the course of his/her PhD work. The latter can be two years in one laboratory or one year in each of two different laboratories. In addition to the scholarship support during this overseas experience, NGS will provide support for student travel, health insurance and supplemental cost-of-living allowance (if needed).
The hosting overseas GEM4 faculty member will also serve as a co-supervisor of the student in his/her PhD thesis. Overseas attachments must be proposed to NGS by the supervisor through the Thesis Advisory Committee and the research proposed must form a coherent academic program.
NGS will also provide support for students to register, travel to and participate in the GEM4 annual summer schools and conferences. Candidates for this will be nominated by their supervisors and evaluated competitively.
GEM4 will sponsor an annual prize, beginning in 2007, to recognize an international leader engaged in pioneering research at the intersections of engineering, life sciences, technology, medicine and/or public health. The recipient will deliver a special lecture at one of the participating institutions and interact with GEM4 faculty, post-docs and students.
"The global resources and expertise of GEM4 provides a truly unique environment for developing novel microdevices for diagnosing and treating human disease. Interacting with GEM4 has been an incredible opportunity for my research group."
— Scott Manalis, Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, MIT
