The Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Virginia · 2018. 1. 15. · The...
Transcript of The Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Virginia · 2018. 1. 15. · The...
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The Neuroscience Graduate Programat the University of Virginia
The Neuroscience Graduate Program PO Box 801392
409 Lane Road, MR-4 Room 5148 University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
(434) 982-4285 http://www.virginia.edu/neuroscience
Dr. Manoj Patel, Director
Dr. Scott Zeitlin, Associate Director Nadia Cempré, Program Coordinator
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What to Expect
The Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience is designed to provide students
with broad training in Neurobiology and prepare them for careers in modern biomedical research. Our Program begins with 1 year of didactic course
work. During this time, students rotate through two or three research laboratories. By the end of the first year, students have chosen a mentor.
In the second year, students take electives, advanced seminar courses, begin research and explore research topics as preparation for the Area
Paper/Qualifying exam. On the basis of performance in course work, research rotations and the Qualifying Examination, students are evaluated
for Advancement to Candidacy during the third year. After advancing to candidacy, students concentrate on conducting independent research and
formulating their Research Proposal with the guidance of their mentor and research committee. The culmination of the research endeavor is a public
seminar and a written dissertation that is defended orally before a faculty
committee.
Throughout their course of study, students participate in a bi-weekly student coordinated journal club, weekly student seminar and attend the
Neuroscience Graduate Program Seminar Series. The Training Program guarantees financial support for all Neuroscience Ph.D. students who remain
in good standing throughout their course of study. This support includes payment of a stipend, remission of tuition and fees, and health insurance.
Students’ progress through the Program is guided at all times by a committee of faculty advisors and is reviewed annually by the entire Training
Program faculty. Details of each aspect of the training experience are provided in this document, as are details of financial responsibilities of the
Program and participating faculty.
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Checklist and Timetable of Student Activities First Year Requirements
Fall Semester BIMS 6000: Core Course in Integrative Biosciences (CCIB) NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series Rotation #2 (rotation report) (Topical Research) 15 Minute Meeting with Graduate Advisory Committee
Spring Semester
NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series Rotation #3 (rotation report) (Topical Research) NESC 7030, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental
Neuroscience NESC 8250 Molecular Basis of Neurological Disease NESC 7060, Fundamentals of Neuroscience 15 Minute Meeting with Graduate Advisory Committee Annual report Select Mentor and Research Lab
Second Year Requirements
Fall Semester NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series 15 Minute Meeting with Graduate Advisory Committee Optional BIMS Modules
Spring Semester
MICR 8380 Practical Use of Statistics in Biomedical Research BIMS 7100 Research Ethics Optional BIMS Modules 15 Minute Meeting with Graduate Advisory Committee Annual report Area Paper Form DUE BY APRIL 1ST Area Paper Defense Form DUE BY JUNE 15TH
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Third Year Requirements
Begin thinking about Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation Committee
Optional BIMS Modules NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series Committee Meeting Form Annual Report
Fourth year Requirements
NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series Dissertation Proposal Defense Form signed and submitted by
(ideally by the end of first semester) Committee Meeting Form Annual Report
Fifth Year and Beyond Requirements
NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series Committee Meeting Form (2/year until Thesis Defense) Annual Report Permission to Defend Form Thesis Defense and Thesis Defense Form
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Graduate Advisory Committee- 15 minute meetings
During the first two years, students meet at least twice a year with the Graduate Advisory Committee. This committee consists of the
Director, the Associate Director, and the Program Coordinator. This committee will serve to advise and guide student progress through the
Training Program in the first two years. These meetings are strictly confidential and provide the students an opportunity to voice concerns
about coursework and rotations. Subsequent to that, guidance will largely be from the Faculty mentor and the Ph.D. Committee, although
students are encouraged to continue to use the Graduate Advisory Committee as a resource. The Graduate Advisory Committee does
require that all students submit various updates to the Program Coordinator to track progress. These updates are kept on file and
include, but are not limited to, rotation reports, an annual report, forms for the area paper, dissertation topic defense and a hard-bound
copy of the dissertation itself.
Neuroscience Graduate Program Seminar Series
During the Fall & Spring Semester, scientists are brought in from Academia and Industry to present their research. The NGP Seminar
Series is held on Tuesday afternoon at 4 pm. It is expected that students will attend these seminars whenever they are offered. The
students may also have the opportunity to meet with the speakers to discuss research and postdoctoral opportunities. Attendance at NGP
Seminars is required of all students, even those who have completed classes.
NGP Student Seminar
The Neuroscience Student Seminar provides an opportunity for students to learn how to present a seminar and how to critically
evaluate important papers in the original literature. Papers are chosen
for their relevance, quality of science, and novelty. Fellow students and the Faculty Advisor analyze presentations to provide feedback on
how to improve future presentations. Senior students are offered the opportunity to present their own research. Students that have
completed their coursework are still expected to attend and present yearly.
NGP Student Journal Club
Journal club is a student-organized opportunity for informal scientific discussion between peers. The journal club meets bi-weekly to discuss
papers selected by the student presenting that week. Faculty are not involved in this program. Typically, someone in their second year is
selected to organize the journal club. Their responsibilities include notification of the student body about upcoming presentations and
coordinating meeting times and places. There is administrative
support for this program.
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Laboratory Rotations
Incoming students are encouraged to begin their rotations during the summer before their coursework begins. This summer rotation allows
the student a period of time in the lab without the distractions of classes and seminars. Summer rotations can begin as early as July
1st. The NGP will assist incoming students with the selection of their summer rotation.
The rotation consists of an 4-8 week period wherein the student joins
the research laboratory of one of the Faculty mentors in the Neuroscience Graduate Program. Students may also wish and can gain
permission, under certain circumstances, to conduct short rotations in certain labs in order to gain training in a specific technique. Students
may petition the graduate committee to perform a single rotation with a faculty member who is not a member of the Training Program
faculty; however such faculty must be member of the Graduate
Faculty of the University. The purpose of the rotation experience is to acquaint the student with a particular area of research, a particular
laboratory setting and/or a potential mentor. Students are required to submit a 1-2 page description of each laboratory rotation to the
Program Coordinator for inclusion in their files. In cases where a student has extensive research experience (e.g., as a full time
laboratory technician), s/he may petition the graduate committee to have this experience considered as a single laboratory rotation.
Likewise, students may petition the graduate committee to perform an additional (fourth) laboratory rotation or to have other academic
experiences, e.g., an internship in an industrial setting, considered as laboratory rotations.
Students should contact faculty via telephone or email to arrange for
individual appointments to discuss a possible lab rotation. (see
appendix)
Choosing a Mentor Dissertation research mentors are to be chosen from amongst the
approximately 60 faculty participating in the Training Program.
Mentor/student partnership is by mutual agreement and is subject to approval by the Program Director in consultation with the graduate
committee. The student is expected to have decided on a mentor and been accepted into his/her laboratory no later than the end of the
second semester of study.
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Academics
First Year Summer Session Courses:
NESC 9998 Non-Topical Research (Rotation 1) 6 credits Total Summer Credits 6 non-topical credits
First Year Fall Semester Courses: BIMS 6000 Core Course in Integrative Biosciences 10 credits
NESC 8150 Introduction to Research 1 credit NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series 1 credit
Total Fall Credits 12 topical credits First Year Spring Semester Courses:
NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience 2 credits NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series 1 credit
NESC 7060 Fundamentals of Neuroscience 2 credits NESC 7200 Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience 2 credits NESC 8160 Introduction to Research 1 credit
NESC 7030 Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Neuroscience 2 credits NESC 8250 Molecular Basis of Neurological Disease 2 credits
Total Spring Credits 12 topical credits
Second Year Summer Session Courses:
NESC 9998 Non-Topical Research 6 credits Total Summer Credits 6 non-topical credits
Second Year Fall Session Courses:
NESC 8010 Seminar in Neuroscience 2 credits NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series 1 credit NESC 9998 Non-Topical Research 9 credits
Total Fall Credits 12 non-topical credits
Second Year Spring Session Courses: MICR 8380 Practical Use of Statistics in Biomedical Research 2 credits BIMS 7100 Research Ethics 1 credit
NESC 8020 Seminar in Neuroscience 2 credits NESC 8080 Neuroscience Graduate Student Seminar Series 1 credit
NESC 9998 Non-Topical Research 6 credits Total Spring Credits 12 non-topical credits
Second Year Summer Session Courses: NESC 9999 Non-Topical Research 6 credits
Total Summer Credits 6 non-topical credits Third Year & Beyond
Fall and Spring Semesters NESC 9999 Non-topical research 12 credits
Summer Sessions- NESC 9999 Non-topical research 6 credits
***Note: Even though you do not formally register for the Neuroscience Seminar Series in these years, attendance is required of all students. Registration for courses takes place through the Student Information System. The Program Coordinator will register you for all courses but it is up to the student to make sure that that registration is accurate.
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Key Dates
Please note that these are the latest dates on which these milestones are to
be completed. It is recommended that you achieve these before these deadlines.
1st year
Second Semester BIMS Degree and Mentor Declaration Form
2nd year Fall Semester Organize advisory committee for area paper
April 1st Area Paper Information Form due June 15th Area Paper defense due
3rd year
Fall Semester Committee Meeting Spring Semester Committee Meeting
Fall/Spring Organize dissertation committee
4th year Fall Semester Dissertation Proposal Defense
Spring Semester Committee Meeting
5th year and beyond Fall Semester Committee Meeting
Spring Semester Committee Meeting Fall OR Spring Dissertation defense
Advancement to Candidacy
Upon completing the required coursework, the student is eligible to
take the Qualifying Examination, which is also called the Area Paper (see
detailed description below). The student will apply to take the examination
by submitting for approval by the Executive Committee, a document
indicating that the student has successfully completed the course
requirements (unofficial transcript is fine), lists the members of the
examining committee, a tentative title and outline for the Area Paper (obtain
the appropriate form from the Website). Upon approval, the student will
arrange meetings with committee members to discuss the proposed outline
for the Area Paper.
The student will be advised immediately following the Qualifying Examination
as to the outcome, of which three are possible: Pass, Conditional Pass or
Fail. After passing the examination (or upon satisfying the remaining
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conditions for passing) the student’s record over the first two years will be
evaluated by the Executive Committee in order to determine if the student
may advance to candidacy. This evaluation will consider performance in
coursework and in the laboratory, as well as the recommendations of the
Examining Committee and any endorsements from the student’s mentor. A
passing performance in the Qualifying Examination is necessary, but
not sufficient for advancement; satisfactory performance in all areas
is required for advancement to candidacy.
Qualifying Examination (Area Paper)
The means to evaluate the academic capabilities of the student are
provided by the Qualifying Exam. At the end of the second year of graduate
work the students are expected to complete the requirements for
advancement to candidacy. In particular, the core course work must be
completed, a major area paper must be written and the Qualifying Exam
must be taken. The purpose of the Qualifying Exam is to evaluate the
student on intellectual capabilities that are not revealed by formal course
work and success in laboratory research. In essence, the exam and its
antecedents (the written work described below) are to examine the student's
ability to synthesize information from original sources, identify the critical
questions/problem areas, criticize existing work in a creative fashion, and
propose experiments that would resolve the remaining issues.
Students are expected to organize a faculty area paper committee
during the Fall and Spring semester of the second year. This committee is
to include a member of the Executive Committee or designee and three
other members of the Neuroscience Graduate Program (no more than
two of which may be from the same department). This rule is intended to
ensure breadth in the Committee. The Primary Mentor may attend the
Qualifying Exam as a “silent member”, participating only when called upon
by the other members.
The responsibility of this advisory committee is to: (1) Ensure that the
student is making satisfactory academic progress in the program and has
completed or is in the process of completing all course requirements, (2)
Determine an appropriate written instrument (see below) for the
advancement to candidacy, and (3) Meet periodically (approximately every
other month) with the student during the completion of the written work to
evaluate progress, and re-direct the student if problems are encountered.
After the completion of the written work, the candidate defends the work to
the committee. The combination of the completed core course work,
laboratory research, Major Area Paper and the oral defense are the
requirements for the advancement to candidacy.
The written portion of the Qualifying Exam can take one of two
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forms. The student may write a Major Area Paper, which is a scholarly
review of a well-defined field of research. The paper should identify the
research themes and the goals, evaluate the state of knowledge of the field,
and identify areas where further work is needed. A particularly important
aspect is the critical but creative evaluation of the literature. This
paper takes the form of a major review article. The second route toward
advancement to candidacy is through the writing of a Research Proposal.
The research proposal is in the format of an NIH or NSF grant application,
except that an extensive "background" section should substitute for any
sections which normally enumerate the previous work of the applicant or
preliminary experiments by the applicant related to the grant. This
proposal differs from the dissertation proposal in that it should focus
on a critical evaluation of existing literature and the logic of
experimental design rather than on practical considerations.
Students defend the proposal on the basis of the appropriateness of the
experiments proposed, the logical cohesiveness of the proposal, and the
critical and creative synthesis of the field of knowledge that led to the
specific experiments. This format should still include a major review of the
literature portion.
The oral defense is meant to evaluate the student's ability to utilize
all facets of their previous training during interchanges similar to those encountered at scientific forums. They should be able to verbally present
material in a manner that is understandable and succinct. They should be able to defend their ideas in a professional manner, and should be able to
accept and react positively to criticism. The students should, at this point, behave as an emerging professional scientist capable of expressing and
exchanging ideas with colleagues. They also should be capable by this stage of evaluating evidence, and distinguishing between data and interpretation.
The Dissertation Proposal
After advancement to candidacy and after the student has made
sufficient progress in research to begin formulating a possible dissertation
project, the student, in consultation with the advisor, organizes a
dissertation committee. The role of this committee is 3-fold: (1) To aid the
student in developing a dissertation proposal, (2) To be the examining body
for the presentation and defense of the dissertation proposal, and (3) To
serve as the examining body for the presentation and defense of the
completed dissertation. The philosophy of the Neuroscience Graduate
Program is to organize these committees early and have them meet with the
students often. The dissertation committee should be comprised of one
member of the executive committee and four faculty members including the
student’s mentor. Of those three remaining faculty choices, it is
recommended that two are from the NGP but the last one may be from
another department or from outside UVa. The faculty members may not all
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be from the same department. The dissertation committee may be
comprised of the members of the faculty advisory committee that
the student assembled for advancement to candidacy, but need not
be. In general, meetings with the dissertation committee take place at least
once each semester.
The dissertation proposal itself has two parts. The first part should
represent an introduction to the research area, a presentation of the outstanding problems, and an historical perspective indicating the
importance of the work. It should in fact represent the first chapter of the dissertation. This introduction may represent a part of the document
prepared for advancement to candidacy if appropriate, or may evolve from that document. The second portion of the dissertation proposal should
describe in detail the specific experiments to be carried out, anticipated results, and possible interpretations. The defense of the proposal will
involve an evaluation of the student's grasp of the problem area, their research methodology, and their understanding of the possible
interpretations of any data that may be obtained.
In general, the dissertation proposal is written in much the same
format as a research grant. The introduction consists of (1) A statement of
overall objective of the research, (2) A review of the previous significant
work and the current status of the research in the area, (3) The rationale for
the proposed research plan, including the assumptions which are made in
carrying out a given series of studies, and (4) Any preliminary studies
relating to the problem.
The second portion of the proposal should (1) List the specific aims of
the research, (2) Describe in detail the methods of procedure including
experimental protocols, and the methods of data analysis, and a realistic
schedule for the study, and (3) Provide a consideration of the possible
interpretations and significance of the study.
The Dissertation and Defense
The student must complete an independent research project under the
close supervision of the primary mentor. The student’s dissertation
committee must be consulted regularly regarding progress, meeting at least once per academic year. Timelines and assessment of progress should be
explicitly discussed at each committee meeting. The research must constitute an original and significant contribution to the field and is to be
fully presented in the candidate's dissertation. As evidence of this level of achievement, the Graduate Program expects that students will author
research papers, including some as first author, and these papers will appear in recognized, peer-reviewed journals. Specifically, the program requires at
least one primary peer-reviewed research paper on the student’s dissertation project with the student as first author in order to graduate.
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As part of the requirements for graduation, the student must write a
dissertation and defend it. The dissertation defense is constituted in two required parts, a public dissertation seminar (should be attended by the
members of the dissertation committee and is open to all members of the University of Virginia and the community as a whole) and a private
dissertation defense (must be attended by the members of the dissertation committee). The two portions of the defense do not have to take place on
the same day but may. Notice of the dissertation defense seminar must be given at least two weeks in advance of the public seminar. This notification
must originate from the Program Coordinator so that all individuals involved in the program are properly notified.
Before a student schedules the defense, s/he needs to obtain explicit permission to defend the dissertation work. This permission must be granted
to the student by the dissertation committee via a committee meeting. The signed form indicating permission to defend must be returned to the
Neuroscience Graduate Program office. If the student has not yet
published a first author paper at the time of requesting permission to defend, the following guidelines shall be followed:
The private dissertation defense may be scheduled upon submission of
the first author manuscript. The dissertation committee will advise the student on a realistic time frame for receiving reviews, carrying out
revisions and resubmission, and determine a reasonable defense date. The manuscript must be ACCEPTED for publication in a peer-reviewed
journal prior to the student’s public dissertation presentation.
GSAS Graduation requirements
www.gsas.virginia.edu
Please visit this website regularly for GSAS graduation requirements. .
Please see the Program Coordinator or the below website with questions about completing all the necessary milestones before
graduation.
http://gsas.virginia.edu/enrolled-students/thesis-submission
This website also contains detailed information regarding the format for the title page of your thesis and thesis submission information.
All NGP students are required to order a copy of their dissertation for
the NGP to keep. The Neuroscience Graduate Program will reimburse the student for the copy of the thesis that is required to be submitted
to the program.
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Money Matters
All Neuroscience Graduate Students in good standing are supported
financially. Good Standing means passing (B- or better) courses and maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 and timely achievements of
Program benchmarks. There are multiple sources of funds used for support of students. Thus, during your career you may be paid via a stipend and/or
wage. The difference between the stipend and wage are as follows:
Method Frequency Details:
Stipend Monthly A stipend is paid monthly generally at the end of the month. Example: A payment on
September 24th is for the month of September.
Wages Bi-weekly Pay schedule will be provided to you by the Program Coordinator.
Health Insurance
Each student will be provided Health Insurance, as well as reimbursement for Dental coverage, each year while in the Program.
(Amounts are subject to change). The University has contracted with Aetna for student health insurance.
Health insurance enrollment is now online. Send payment with your
application for enrollment ONLY if you select a plan other than Student
Medical Only. Aetna will invoice the University for the Student Medical Only plan. In other words, if you choose the option Student Medical Only, we will
be billed and pay for this, not the student.
If you select the dental plan, you will need to provide remittance for the additional cost of the Plan with your application for enrollment. You must
pay out-of-pocket for Dental Insurance, you will get reimbursed once you fill out the proper paperwork and provide proof of purchase. Please see the
Program Coordinator to find out the details of the procedure.
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Other Information
The Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (BIMS) Handbook is a detailed
resource of other information, including important offices and phone numbers, as well as relevant degree forms.
Please refer to the BIMS handbook as well as the following useful resources:
http://bims.virginia.edu/
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/education/phd/gpo/home-page
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Important Considerations When Choosing a Research Professor (According to Jay Purdy, M.D., Ph.D., who lamented that he had done so
once too often.)
Area of Research This is the most obvious of criteria. The short summaries in departmental
literature give only a brief outline and can be used to narrow the field. The only realistic way to get an understanding is by talking to professors. Make a
list and call for appointments. Five to ten is reasonable. This also gives you a chance to make judgments on the criteria mentioned below.
Personality of Researcher
As a student will be working with the professor for years, a good relationship
is critical. This consideration is often overlooked, although I feel it is more important than #1. No matter how interesting the work, if you hate your
professor, life will be hell in the lab.
Accessibility. Many professors are quite busy; unless they are
willing to make a significant effort, they will never have time to discuss problems with students. This risk is large in a faculty
with clinical responsibilities (they see patients). A large lab will have postdocs that can answer questions; however, you should
feel comfortable with this type of arrangement.
Relationship. Some people get along better than others. You
must feel comfortable talking and asking questions of your professor.
Managerial style. While related to the above, this is clearly a separate consideration. Professors range from those who want
reports of each gel to those who won't talk to you for years
(literally). Be sure your professor isn't too hands off or too hands on for your liking.
Temperament. Professors can be thought of as kings and queens of their labs and some act like it. Some people are unaffected by
being the focus of fits of rage, others are quite bothered.
Environment. Labs usually reflect the professor’s tastes and vary greatly with cleanliness and order. While there is the aesthetic
component to this question, many labs handle radioactive materials and other biohazards that make mess, clutter and dirt
risky. Find a lab where conditions allow you to work comfortably.
After a full rotation through a lab, a professor's personality will be readily
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apparent. However, students get only three rotations out of the hundreds of
possible labs. Thus, it is important to make decisions based on the above before choosing their rotations. I suggest:
The initial interview. Take the time to think about each of the above. If the professor cancels the appointment or cuts its short, it is likely that you will receive the same type of treatment as a
student. Look around his/her office and lab and draw conclusions by what you see.
Older students. This is a valuable resource often overlooked.
Find out what other students think of possible professors.
Students/lab techs in that lab. Ask them for good points and bad
points. Find out how long they have been there and how long it has taken past PhD students to get their degree in that lab. If
the last PhD took 10 years, watch out.
Funding Situation One of the most discouraging things that can happen is to have a professor
move in the middle of your work. This is directly related to funding so ask point blank about their grant situation before making any permanent
decisions (I'd even suggest doing this before a rotation). Ask if they are
happy here, if they are considering moving, etc.
Other Lab Personalities Surprising to me, a large percentage of labs contain personnel that dislike
coworkers to the point of affecting the work generated. Situations of open lab warfare not only diminish the quality of data but make life miserable,
even for innocent bystanders. Ask lab workers about conditions and about interpersonal lab relationships.
Choosing a Thesis Lab
[By Skip Brass, Prof of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, 10 October 2003]
Choosing a thesis lab and a mentor is probably not the toughest problem
that you will ever face, but it is an important one, and you will want to get it
right the first time. For many of you in combined-degree programs, this will be your first chance to develop a long-term relationship with a faculty
member of your choice. The ideal thesis mentor should be successful as a scientist, experienced as a mentor, and willing to commit the time and
resources needed for you to become successful yourself. Your relationship with your thesis adviser will be most intense from the time you enter the lab
to the time you depart with your thesis completed, but it probably will last even longer, as you call upon them later for career advice and letters of
recommendation for future positions.
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So Many Labs, So Little Time
OK, it is an important relationship and you need to choose wisely. How do
you do that? Depending upon how they are organized, graduate training programs may present students with anything from a dozen to a few
hundred faculty members who are approved to be thesis mentors. You may have encountered some of them in class, but most will appear merely as
names on a Web site.
This essay is intended to provide some generic guidelines based on my experience with combined-degree students at the University of Pennsylvania
and on my own experience as an M.D./Ph.D. student. The advice should apply fairly well to trainees in most M.D./Ph.D. programs offering graduate
work in the biomedical sciences. With some exceptions, it should apply to students doing only a Ph.D., but it is written with future physician-scientists
in mind.
Students in M.D./Ph.D. programs are faced with a different set of pressures
than most Ph.D. students. Chances are, you will do several years of postgraduate clinical training as well, and you are more likely to end up in a
clinical department than in a basic science department. Chances are, you will achieve your first job as an assistant professor (if that is your goal) with
fewer years of research training than your "Ph.D.-only" compatriots, who typically do a couple of extended postdocs of three or more years before
reaching the point where they can compete for a faculty appointment. Their research training will be continuous; yours--as an M.D./Ph.D. trainee--will be
interrupted by the return to clinical training after you complete your Ph.D. All these factors make the choice of a thesis lab more critical.
First Principles
A good place to start your search for the ideal mentor and the perfect lab is
to consider what the goals of doing a thesis are, or should be, beyond the obvious fact that you have to do one in order to earn the Ph.D. After all, why
not just get an M.D. and hope for the best? Reduced to essentials, your goals in doing a thesis should be:
1. To learn how to ask interesting and important questions.
2. To learn how to translate these questions into experiments that will produce verifiable results.
3. To learn how to critically evaluate the results of these experiments. 4. To learn how to present your ideas and data to the scientific world in
written and oral form.
Much of the rest follows from these simple goals. You want to be in a successful lab where you can get good advice and work with other scientists
and trainees who will help you learn how to do good work. The project you
work on should be one you care about, but its value as a training vehicle is at least as important at this point in your training.
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Frequently Asked Questions When I meet with first- and second-year M.D./Ph.D. students to discuss the
choice of a thesis mentor and topic, certain questions always seem to come up. Is it better to be in a big lab or a small lab? Should I pick a lab where
other combined-degree students are already working? Should I try to work for a physician-scientist, or is a Ph.D.-only basic scientist just as good?
Should I pick a lab or a topic (or both) based on what I think I want to work on later? Should I avoid working with a junior faculty member? Should I pick
a project that I am sure will work (if such a thing exists), or should I pick one that is riskier? How long should it take to complete my thesis? Who
decides when I am done? Should I seek, or avoid, labs that do "translational" research? Is it better to work with someone in a basic science
department or a clinical department?
Frequently Offered Answers
Choose a successful lab. If the lab has been successful before, it probably will be again. If it hasn't been successful in the past, it may not be in the
future.
How do you measure success? Successful labs publish frequently in good journals. Successful labs are frequently successful in winning research
grants. In successful labs, previous students--if there have been any--have successfully completed their thesis projects in a timely manner.
Choose a lab that is committed to you. Pick a mentor who will be committed
to your success as a trainee and spend the time that's needed for you to achieve your goals. Although you will be working independently most of the
time, it is reasonable to expect your adviser to set aside time for you on a regular basis. If you pick a lab with a successful PI who travels a lot, make
sure the lab is well staffed with other experienced researchers who will help
you when your adviser's away. Make sure that you have a pipeline to your mentor--and a support structure--for times when you need it. Big labs can
be great places to work, but it is possible to get lost in them; will they know you are there and provide an adequate safety net?
Understand your learning style. Some people work best in crowded, noisy
environments; others work best with fewer people around. Some people like to have their supervisor around most of the time and talk to him or her
several times per day; others prefer infrequent encounters. Some people like to have immediate access to the lab director; others prefer to wrestle with
problems on their own before finding help. Any of these approaches can work, but make sure that what works best for you is in sync with the way
the lab you are considering operates.
Someone else's best choice may not be your best choice. With so many
choices available in most programs, it is not surprising that combined-degree students decline to "boldly go where no one has gone before,"
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choosing instead to go to a lab where there are other combined-degree
students. Be careful about doing that. The best choice for someone else may not be the best choice for you. Pick wisely, and not just because others have
made that same choice. Do a bit of self-analysis, applying the principles described elsewhere in this article, and choose a lab that's right for you.
Basic versus translational research. This is an issue on which you may get
different opinions. Some feel that the best training in research comes from a "basic science" project. Others think that a natural niche for a physician-
scientist is to do translational research, so why not start that while doing the thesis project? The critical issue is whether the lab and project will allow you
to meet the goals of doing a Ph.D. This can happen in both basic and translational research settings. So ...
Pick a problem that interests you. You will be living with it for a long time.
Make sure it is something you will want to wrestle with even when the going
gets rough. It has to make you want to get up early, work late, come in on the weekend, and think about it in the shower.
Junior faculty members can be great, but make sure they are up to the task.
Working with someone who has recently completed training can be exciting. The lab will be small, and he or she will have more time for you. You will
represent a larger fraction of their workforce and will, consequently, be valued more. On the other hand, a recent faculty hire will not have had a
chance to accumulate a track record as a trainer of graduate students. Your higher value to the lab can also be a disadvantage; you may be asked to
carry too much of the responsibility for your adviser's future success or failure. He or she will not have had a chance to prove that they can match
their success as a postdoc when they are doing it completely on their own; not all will succeed as independent investigators.
If you are going to commit three (or more) years to working with him or her, you want to be sure that they will be there with you until you finish. Few
things are as difficult as having your thesis adviser not receive tenure and be obliged to look elsewhere for an adviser. So if you are considering working
for a new faculty member, look hard not only at what they did while a postdoc and graduate student but also at what they have done (or plan to
do next). It is OK to ask about funding, if only because they are going to ask to help support you. It is OK to ask when they are coming up for tenure. You
have a right to know these things.
Senior faculty members can be great, but make sure they are up to the task. Senior faculty members are typically associate professors or professors. In
schools where tenure can be granted, they will probably have tenure. A decision to work with a more established investigator avoids some potential
problems that can arise with junior faculty members but can raise others. At
the very least, they should have a track record by which to be judged. But make sure that the success is ongoing. Look them up in PubMed. Are they
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still active or just coasting?
Your thesis topic need not be in an area that you are planning to embrace
forever. Most people don't know what they will be doing in the future; chances are that it will change over time. However, make sure it provides
you with opportunities to gain the skills you need to be successful as a scientist.
Avoid "Ph.D. lite" (a.k.a. "combined-degree Ph.D."). M.D./Ph.D. students
understandably feel pressure to keep moving through the various phases of their training. Don't succumb to the temptation to do less than your best.
Give yourself the time you need. Set the tone for your career as an investigator by choosing challenging questions that might take a while to
answer rather than just doing incremental studies that are designed to be finished quickly. In the long run, you will be far better off.
Be thoughtful in choosing a thesis committee. Pick people who are experienced in training graduate students as well as expert in the area of
your research. The chair should be someone with sufficient weight to act as a counterbalance to your thesis adviser should any difference of opinion
arise. Meet with the committee regularly to avoid getting bogged down when things aren't working. ("This experiment didn't quite work the way I wanted
it to the first 87 times, but I am sure that if I do it once more it will.") Proper use of a well-chosen thesis committee not only gives you a chance to
practice your skills at presenting your work, it also helps you use your time as efficiently as possible.
How long should it take? As long as it takes to accomplish the goals you set
out, and to accumulate an identifiable body of creative work. Most combined-degree students take 7 to 8 years for the entire program. Taking
longer can be fine. The key is to be focused and efficient and to work hard.
Your thesis committee in consultation with your thesis adviser will decide when you are done. The decision is usually based on evidence that you've
mastered the field, achieved the goals of doing a thesis, and made a scholarly contribution to the field. Most programs strongly encourage
M.D./Ph.D. students to complete and defend their thesis before they return to medical school to complete their clinical rotations.
Learn how to recover from failure. Success feels great, but you must also
learn how to recover when things don't work. I've known combined-degree program graduates who sailed through their thesis research only to crumble
when faced with bigger challenges when they returned to the lab after completing their clinical training. Suddenly, being a full-time clinician seems
much more attractive than wrestling with experiments that typically fail the first time around.
How Do I Start? When you arrive on Grounds, establish a habit of attending events in your
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department or graduate group. Chances are the training program will have
an event in which faculty members describe their interests; go. Talk to the faculty members who you are considering. Don't be shy; this is an important
relationship for you and for them. Ask critical questions about their commitment to training you, their success at training others, and (in general
terms at the least) the status of their funding for the period you will be working with him or her. Ask junior faculty members how soon they will be
up for tenure and whether they think they will get it. Ask if there is a chance that they might leave the program while you are still doing your thesis
research. Look at PubMed and make sure that they are publishing regularly in quality journals, including Cell, Science, and Nature. Read their
publications. Talk to the people who are working in their lab. Find out what really goes on. Tap into the collective experience of other M.D./Ph.D. and
Ph.D. students who worked in the lab. If possible, "try before you buy" by doing a lab rotation. At the very least, go to the lab's weekly meeting and
listen to the discussions. How much give-and-take is there? Do students
seem engaged?
Final Thoughts Many of us who have completed training look back on the years when we
were thesis students with fondness. No doubt, this is partly a result of imperfect memories; anxieties and stresses fade over time. Nevertheless,
this is a special time. This will be one of the rare periods in your life when you focus all or nearly all of your energy on research. Take advantage of
that. Choose your thesis lab and thesis mentor carefully, and enjoy the process as well as you enjoy your accomplishments.
Copyright © 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.