Training Program

The BioPACIFIC MIP training program aims to bridge the gap between industrial needs and academic education to increase the workforce pipeline with a diverse pool of highly educated and effective scientists well-prepared to contribute, through a variety of career tracks, to innovations in biomaterials. 

BioPACIFIC MIP Training for Fellows, Affiliates, and Associates

Fellows, Affiliates, and Associates are immersed in a community of researchers, engaging in transdisciplinary biomaterials research training, collaboration, career preparation, and mentorship within a network of academic and industry professionals. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from UCSB and UCLA can apply to be BioPACIFIC MIP Fellows or Affiliates. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from academic institutions other than UCSB and UCLA can apply to be BioPACIFIC MIP Associates.

The Fellow and Affiliate training experience will include:

• Training in BioPACIFIC MIP research with an emphasis on the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) approach
• Career guidance via talks at quarterly meetings and Individual Development Plan (IDP) creation and mentorship
• Professional skills workshops: collaboration, trans- disciplinary innovation, communicating across disciplines, understanding industry needs, etc.
• Peer-peer networking through bi-weekly SET meetings, quarterly all-hands meetings, and summer workshops
• Community and leadership networking and mentorship with industry and academic professionals through Individual Development Plan events and mentorship map training
• Opportunity to apply for travel grants to attend conferences or trade shows

The Associate training experience will include:

• Training in BioPACIFIC MIP research with an emphasis on the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) approach
• Career guidance via talks at quarterly meetings
• Professional skills workshops: collaboration, trans- disciplinary innovation, communicating across disciplines, understanding industry needs, etc.
• Peer-peer networking and research exchange through quarterly all-hands research meetings
• Admission to the BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School with financial coverage of lodging and meal costs
• Opportunity to apply for travel scholarships to attend the BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School and/or visit BioPACIFIC MIP
• Proposal development with the BioPACIFIC MIP team

Expectations from Participants:

• Attend quarterly all-hands meetings
• Attend quarterly professional development meetings
• Apply to attend the BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School
• Participate in an active SET project or cross-cutting SET project and attend SET meetings (Fellows; Affiliates encouraged, but not required)
• Have, at minimum, two office hours per year with BioPACIFIC MIP personnel to discuss User Proposal development (Associates)

BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School

The BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School offers a week-long opportunity for students, postdocs, faculty, and research staff to learn about discipline fundamentals as well as industry needs.

The summer school focuses on:

• High-throughput research / industry mentality
• Theory behind specific BioPACIFIC MIP research elements, DBTL experimental design, and the MGI approach
• Hands-on workshops on key instrumentation and techniques including the Living Biofoundry, the robotic synthetic chemistry platform, microED, and more 
• Industry participation and multi-directional mentorship
• Serving as both a training mechanism and recruitment tool for a diverse user cohort

The school is open to the broad BioPACIFIC MIP community.

BioPACIFIC MIP Science Communication and Outreach

The BioPACIFIC MIP students and faculty will engage the broader public community through multiple outreach opportunities including:

• Curieosity, the UCLA hosted experience for Brownie Scouts.
• School for Scientific Thought (SST), the UCSB hosted high school science school taught by graduate and postdoc researchers
• Family Ultimate Science Exploration (FUSE), the UCSB hosted science experience for local middles schoolers and their families

 Diversity

BioPACIFIC MIP Leadership is committed to promoting gender, ethnic, and racial diversity across all facets of the organization through targeted User Recruitment and Training, Education, Outreach, and Hiring, which will ensure BioPACIFIC MIP Fellows, Affiliates, Summer School attendees, and BioPACIFIC MIP users are representative of our nation’s diverse talent.