Eligibility and Application

Eligibility

UVA PhD students can be enrolled in any of the programs for which an SBDS Approved Faculty Member is approved to mentor graduate students. Current approved SBDS Faculty are affiliated with graduate programs in the Schools of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science), Medicine (Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, Genome Sciences, Microbiology, Immunology, & Cancer Biology), Data Science, the College of Arts & Sciences (Biology), among others. The National Institutes of Health-supported student slots are for US Citizens or permanent residents.  There is one institutionally-supported slot for which non-US citizens may apply. Most competitive student applicants apply at the end of their 1st year of graduate study with appointment at the start of their 2nd year. Occasionally, competitive student applicants apply at later years.

Application

Students apply for appointment to the SBDS training program as part of the process that is in place for all NIH-sponsored training grants in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at the University of Virginia. Announcements are circulated in the Spring with due dates in early May.  All applications will be reviewed by the SBDS training program executive committee and appointments will be coordinated with other training programs.

Applications will include:

• Cover sheet provided by the training programs (announced in the Spring)
• CV
• Letter of recommendation co-signed by the primary mentor & co-mentor. This letter must also include a rationale for the co-mentor’s engagement as well as a statement that appropriate lab safety training will be in place during the 80-hour immersion.
• 1-page research statement that includes systems biology and/or biomolecular data science
• A brief (< 150 words) statement on the relevance of SBDS training for the applicant, evidence of sufficient background in coding and biology, and assurance of the applicant to satisfy all training program requirements