NC State is continuing its decades-long legacy of excellence in innovative genetics and genomics research and training. The Genetics and Genomics Academy (GGA) and the Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Center were recently awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its Institutional National Research Service Award T32 program. Their collaborative program, the NC State Genetics and Genomics Training Program (GGTP),  will prepare Ph.D. students for the changing landscape of genetics and genomics through experiential research training and the ethics and communications skills needed to leverage their research for the benefit of society.

This new program builds on the GGA’s current graduate programs directed by Martha Burford Reiskind, including the Genetics and Genomics Scholars (GGS) program and the Interdisciplinary Genetics and Genomics (IPGG) Minor. The GG Scholars program is a first-year umbrella graduate fellowship program that prepares future scientists for cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research across the life sciences. Over the past 7 years, the GGS program has supported 111 students from 15 different graduate programs. The IPGG graduate minor is designed to include students from a variety of life sciences programs at NC State and builds on the philosophy that the exploration of genes and genomes informs all fields of biology.

For GES, the award marks the Center’s third major graduate training grant, following the NSF-funded IGERT (2011–2018) and AgBioFEWS (2019–2025) programs, which focused on genetic pest management and agricultural biotechnology in evolving food, energy and water systems, respectively. Together, these programs reflect GES’s longstanding commitment to preparing researchers to work across disciplines and consider the societal implications of emerging science and technology.

“We are very excited to get this new interdisciplinary training program up and running,” said Jeff Yoder, principal investigator on the grant and director of the Genetics and Genomics Academy. “The GGA, GES and faculty from five colleges will work collaboratively in providing graduate students with the knowledge and skills needed to work across disciplines, but to also question the impact their research might have on society by asking not only, ‘Can we develop a new innovation?’ but also, ‘Should we develop it?’ and, if so, ‘How should we develop it?’ We feel that this type of training is vital for the next generation of research leaders.”

The GGTP is a T32 program funded by the NIH and the Provost Office, supporting a new cohort of four second-year Ph.D. students each year. Students will have the opportunity to receive funding for the following year given that they maintain good academic progress. Trainees supported through this program will receive a $35,000 stipend along with full tuition and benefits. This unique training program partners with six graduate programs: Biology, Biomathematics, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Entomology, Genetics and Genomics, and Microbiology. 

The fields of genetics and genomics are rapidly becoming intertwined with everyday life, making it imperative that new researchers understand their societal and ethical implications. To deepen students’ engagement with these topics, trainees will take four required courses including, GGS 775, Survey of Genetics and Genomics; GES 508, Emerging Technologies and Society; a Genetics and Genomics (G&G) elective; and a Social Science and Humanities (SSH) elective. 

“Interdisciplinary graduate training has been central to GES from the beginning,” said Jennifer Kuzma, GES co-founder, who will serve as an associate director of GGTP. “Genetics and genomics researchers need more than technical expertise. They also need practice examining the societal and ethical dimensions of their work, learning across disciplines, and communicating with people outside the scientific community. GGTP builds those skills into their training from the outset.”

In GGS 775, instructed by Martha Burford Reiskind and Claire Gordy, students will gain an in-depth understanding of the history of genetics and genomics and the breadth of their applications in molecular, evolutionary and developmental biology.

In GES 508, taught by Katie Barnhill, GGTP trainees will complete a Genetics and Genomics of Biomedicine project focused specifically on engaging with non-scientists. Students will explore a pressing topic—such as ownership of personal genetic information or the use of gene-drive mosquitoes to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne illnesses—and develop an engagement project for audiences outside their scientific disciplines.

Students participating in GGTP will also take part in peer mentoring to strengthen their leadership skills and mastery of research tools and practices. These experiences will better prepare trainees to work with and lead research teams in their future careers, whether in academia, industry, or government.

The Genetics and Genomics Academy and Genetic Engineering and Society Center are excited to launch this new graduate training program, with recruitment for its first cohort beginning in spring 2027.

This post was originally published in NC State News.