Below are some examples of required and optional professional development activities for career tracks that most obviously tie into molecular biophysics training. Activities are also incorporated into other MBTP programming whenever possible, such as in career panels associated with the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Biomolecular Galaxy Symposium.

Required Career Development Activities

Scientific Conferences. All MBTP trainees are required to travel to and present their data at one regional or national meeting with a focus on Molecular Biophysics in each year they are funded by the award, at minimum (typically starting in the summer at the end of year 2 in graduate school). There are travel funds set aside in the budget to assist this purpose. Scientific conferences allow trainees to network, learn about science from other universities, gain experience in oral communication, and help them decide on future directions.

Individual Development Plan (IDP). Trainees are required to complete an IDP in collaboration with their mentor on an annual basis, beginning the first semester they join their thesis research lab (first year of appointment to the MBTP). Trainees submit a completed copy to the MBTP Executive Committee each year.

Mentor Skills Development. Effective mentorship is an important skill to develop in most any career. As such, all MBTP trainees are required to be teaching assistants for at least one semester. Trainees are also required to participate in the Future Mentors program (new in Fall 2025). This interactive seminar (3 credit hour) provides a systematic approach to analyzing and discussing research mentorship using an evidence-based curriculum developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Each week mentors will engage in group activities and discuss case studies centered around key topics of mentor development.

Optional Career-track Specific Activities

Biotechnology. Purdue offers various opportunities by which trainees can gain information on private sector research via day trips to local companies. Historically these have included Chicago (AbbVie, Baxter), Cincinnati (Procter and Gamble), Indianapolis (Roche Diagnostics, Eli Lilly), and West Lafayette (Cook Biotech, Endocyte, Inotiv). When available, trainees can also apply for summer internships with industries that use molecular biophysics including Eli Lilly or Caymen Chemicals. MBTP also participates in Purdue’s Accelerate to Industry program.

Entrepreneurship. The Weldon School of BME offers courses designed to educate participants on regulatory affairs at the initial approval, the preclinical strategy phase, the clinical strategy phase, and the manufacturing compliance stage. Trainees can also consult 1 on 1 with Low and/or Thompson, two of our trainers who have launched multiple successful companies. Dr. Low’s most recent success focused on novel cancer fighting technology that relies heavily on biophysical principles, and he has developed an Entrepreneurial Workshop that he routinely runs for those interested in the commercialization process.

Government/Public Policy. Informational visits from former STEM trainees currently involved in science policy and investigators working in government agencies (e.g. NIH, FDA) will be periodically scheduled for presentations in our FBSS series and/or discussions with trainees.

Tech Transfer/IP Law. Our career panels and informational panels held by participating departments often include Purdue graduates who have entered careers in patent law, such as Chemistry graduate Dr.Cedric D’Hue (Eli Lilly) and Dr. Chandra Critchelow, an Associate at Mayer Brown in Chicago.

Basic Research/Teaching. Those interested in an academic career will learn the most about life as a teacher-scholar from working in their individual labs and interacting with other T32 trainees across the spectrum of our activities, and via TA duties required by their graduate programs. Students interested in education will be given the option to design and teach classes and flipped classroom activities in undergraduate courses taught by MBTP preceptors. Two or three trainees will be selected each year to serve on the Student Advisory Committee, which participates in Executive Committee meetings, helps with various aspects of MBTP programming, and meets with our External Advisory Committee.