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 Fellows Professional Training Program

BioPACIFIC MIP Fellows 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.

The Fellow training experience will include:

• Peer-peer networking through research meetings, all-hands meetings, and summer workshops
• Access to travel conference grant for travel to report MIP related research
• Access to BioPACIFIC MIP outreach opportunities
• Access to Professional Development events throughout the year including science communication competitions (with prizes)

Expectations from Participants:

• Attend monthly All-SET meetings
• Attend quarterly all-hands meeting, with integrated social/community building
• Attend quarterly Professional Development Meetings

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