The road to an interdisciplinary Ph.D. through COMBINE includes graduate education that intentionally and thoughtfully prepares students for scientific research at the interface of the physical/mathematical, computer, and life sciences, while simultaneously providing the necessary training so that they may readily translate research experiences to a diverse set of potential careers. Our program’s training elements focus on:
- Integrated, interdisciplinary problem solving: Through coursework from multiple disciplines and our weekly interdisciplinary NRT seminars, students tackle complex cross-disciplinary problems by carefully integrating approaches from different fields.
- Communication to diverse audiences: Students are trained to effectively communicate complex scientific ideas to diverse audiences, including both scientists from disparate fields and non-scientists from industry and the general population.
- Teamwork & Leadership: Trainees become adept at working in teams to tackle complex problems, communicate across disciplines, and assume leadership roles in team efforts.
- Mentorship: Trainees develop mentorship skills through guided participation in outreach activities and mentoring of undergraduates as well as through structured peer-mentoring.