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Chemistry Graduate programFall 2009 Orientation
Program Chair: Dr. Ramaswamy Narayanan Chair of Admissions: Dr. Predrag Cudic
Basis of the program
• Multi disciplinary Doctoral program in Chemistry
• Faculty strength in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysical Chemistry, Drugs from the sea, proteomics, Bioinformatics and Molecular medicine
• Minimum course work, but research intensive (key strength)
• Doctoral degrees at FAU require at least 80 semester credits beyond the baccalaureate degree.
Current emphasis
• Small molecule drug discovery, synthesis, high throughput screen
• Carbohydrate chemistry• Environmental science• Drugs/peptides from sea• Biophysical chemistry, Raman microscopy,
oxygenase enzyme• Metal enzymes, biotechnology• Microfluidics, drug delivery• Neuroscience, aging, protein biochemistry• Bioinformatics, chemoinformatics, druggable target
discovery
Other participating units
• Biological Sciences• Biomedical Sciences• Center for Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology (CMBB) • Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
(HBOI)• Smithsonian Institute• Scripps Florida• Torrey Pines & Max Planck Institute (future)
Rotation Requirements
• Chair will meet with you one on one• Seek interview with three faculty• Do rotation for four weeks in each labs• At the end of the rotation the Chair will help
you with your choice
Buddy System
• New!• One student for each incoming student to
help with transition• Next year you my be asked to volunteer!
– Give us your feedback at the end of the semester
Course requirements: 3 core, 3 electives, seminar and Intro. To Chemical Res.
• Introduction to Chemical Research (1)-Fall
• Core courses- 9 credits- Instrumentation (3)-Fall- Synthesis &
Characterization (3)-Spring
- Kinetics & Energetics (3)-Spring
- Not linked courses- MUST complete CORE
in the first two years
• Electives-3 courses (9 credits)-May transfer
Plus- Non Thesis Seminar (1
credit)- May have to take other
electives (Advisory Committee’s decision)
- Electives can be from other programs (consult advisor)
- Decided by the student and the Advisory committee
20 course credits (Minimum)
Registration
• 9 credits in the Fall/Spring and 6 credits in the summer (maximum 24 credits per year).
• Undergraduate course needs Advisor’s justification• MUST maintain 3.0 GPA for tuition waiver and to
remain in the program (probation for two semesters followed by dismissal).
• Full time commitment required (no part time)• Outside employment not advisable• Continuous registration ( at least one credit per
year).- This is minimum. Needs approval• Possible to go off for one semester. MUST have
approval from the Chair.
Financial aid
TA- Full year support (5 yrs)- Must meet the TA
commitment- Language skills- Must have full time
registration- $20K/yr + tuition waiver
RA• Grant-based (advisor)• $20K/yr + tuition waiver• Other scholarship
(minority/pre doctoral/Private) possible. Consult advisor/E-Mail/FAU Graduate College web page (check frequently)
Research Advisory Committee
• Four members Research Advisory Committee (RAC) including the chair at least three of whom are members of the “Graduate Faculty” of the Chemistry Ph.D. program
• One Committee member must be a faculty member from outside the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• The RAC should be in place by the end of the Year I.
• Student’s and the advisor’s choice.
Committee-Contd.
• All RAC members must be approved by the Chair of the Dept. and the Graduate Program Committee.
• If the major advisor is a non tenured faculty, at least one member of the Committee MUST be at the rank of a tenured Associate or full Professor.
• If the major advisor is from outside the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, at least two members MUST be from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.
Year 1
- Form Research Advisory Committee (before end of Year I)
- Choose your Research Advisory Committee in consultation with your advisor
- MUST start core courses/Intro. To Chemical research• Register for advanced research (CHM 7978)• Discuss a program of courses with your advisor (or
Dr. Cudic, if no advisor) in the first semester • Elective courses to strengthen your background in
field of study• May do rotation (consult advisor/Chair)• Plan for first Committee meeting before the end of
Year I to early Year II.
Year 2
• Arrange first Committee meeting if not done so already
• Complete Core and Elective courses
• Continue research
• Plan for non thesis seminar
• Complete plan of study form at the graduate College before end of year II
Candidacy exam:To complete at least twelve months in advance of final
dissertation
- Within 3-6 months of coursework completion1. EXAM 1- Written exam (4 hours). • three key publications in the area of research to critically
analyze.2. EXAM 2- Oral exam. • No later than four weeks after Exam 1, the student will be
tested related to the subject matter of Exam 1 as well as in the student’s area of research.
• Two chances to receive a Pass for the Candidacy Examination. After the second opportunity, dismissal
• Admitted to candidacy upon successful completion of the Candidacy Exam (exam I & Exam II) and must enroll in CHM 7980.
- The RAC MAY specify other requirements as part of the Candidacy exam.
Research Proposal (not a candidacy requirement)
3. Research Proposal (related, but distinct area)
- NIH format (may be other format) grant proposal
- Six weeks to complete the written proposal- May have an oral examination with the
Committee within two weeks of submission- Two chances are given if unsuccessful
Years 3 and beyond• Doctoral degree requirements completed in 5-7 years (<7
Years)• May complete earlier (if Committee agrees)• At least once a year (preferably twice) meeting with your
Committee• Dissertation Defense should be done at least twelve months
after advancing to Candidacy• Complete dissertation research ( at least 25 credits, may
require more)• Peer-reviewed first authored (or a major contributing author)
publication (minimum one) in press before the Dissertation defense
• Submit dissertation to the Research Advisory Committee• Public presentation and defense of Dissertation Research
* Continue publications, Aim for high profile journals
Dissertation requirements
• Annual progress report (Dec)• Plan of study to graduate College at least
one semester before graduation• Inform Chair of program in the beginning of
semester about dissertation defense• Public Defense three weeks before
graduation• Committee must have three weeks to review
draft Dissertation• Approval of Committee
Program expectations
• High quality research
• Attendance in all seminars
• Seminar presentations skills
• Ability to raise critical issues and alternatives in research proposals
• Ability to identify strengths and weaknesses in research
• Top quality publications
Yearly requirements
• Annual Milestone checklist * (Sep 1)
- Once a year meeting with the Program Chair (Fall)
* Student’s responsibility
• Annual research progress report * (starting from end of second year)
- Due (Dec 1) - Once a year the
research advisor and the student submit a progress report to Program Chair on research activities
* Advisor’s and the student’s responsibility
Change of advisor
• Possible, but a challenge• A written justification is necessary• The new advisor must agree in writing to
take the student • The new lab must have adequate funds to
support the training• May have to take additional courses• May have to be readmitted to candidacy• May NOT be able to join the lab of choice
FAU graduate policy guidelines
• Office of graduate admissions and studies- see http://graduate.fau.edu/
• For FAQs- see http://graduate.fau.edu/StudiesFAQ.htm
• For policy and procedures, see http://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/univcatalog/CombAcadPol.pdf
• For graduate student association, see http://graduate.fau.edu/GSA/
What can you expect from the Program?
• Mentorship support
• Rigorous training
• Interdisciplinary approach to research problems
• Commitment to high quality training and excellence from faculty
• Job placement advise
New things for you!
• Open hour access to the Chair- Tue 12-1PM
• Once a semester, get together with the Chair to discuss patents, jobs and any other issues
• Student Advisory Committee to provide a framework for feedback to the Chair, get general help
Students Advisory Committee to the Chair
Sanaz R. Dovell (Chair) Patrick Cosme Nina Bionda & Mari D. Heghinian
Graduate Advising Dr. P. Cudic (Chair, Admissions)Dr. S. LeporeDr. W. Louda Dr. F. Mari Dr. R. Narayanan ( Program) Chair Dr. C. ParkanyiDr. A. Terentis Dr. G. Sui & Dr. S. VetterDr. L. West
Seminars
• Attendance required• Departmental seminars (Fri) 3-4 PM• Dissertation defense• CMBB seminars• Symposia (Scripps/Torrey Pines, Max
Planck)• Annual Nobel lecture*Key purpose: effective presentation skills
Statistics
• 55 students to date (from 2000)• 29 students graduated• Currently 26 students in the program• Past students at Harvard, FAU,
University of Miami, Nova South Eastern University, Barry University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Scripps Florida, Wistar Institute, Glaxo Smith Kline
Chemistry & Biochemistry Ph.D. Program graduate faculty listing ( Rev. Aug 09)
Name E-Mail Rank Affiliation Research Field
Dr. P, Cudic [email protected] Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Bioorganic/Biomimetic chemistry synthetic organic chemistry, peptide chemistry, molecular recognition
Dr. S. Lepore [email protected] Associate Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Development of synthetic organic methods and their application to the synthesis of therapeutically important compounds
Dr. W. Louda [email protected] Senior Scientist Chemistry & Biochemistry Lipophilic pigments. Specifically chlorophylls, chlorophyll derivatives, cartoenoids, certain polyaromatic hydrocarbons (perylene) and dimeric indole-phenol
Dr. F. Mari [email protected] Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry
Isolation and chracterization of peptides and proteins of marine origin, structure and dynamics of pepties and proteins of marine origin using NMR methods, computational methods for the analysis of structure-activity relationships of biomolecules
Dr. R. Narayanan [email protected] Chair/Professor Chemistry, Biochemistry & BiologyMolecular aspects of transformation; oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and transcription factors; differentiation, cell-cycle and apoptosis; antisense and gene therapy; targeted drug delivery and pro-drug development; bioinformatics
Dr. C. Parkanyi [email protected] Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Physical and theoretical organic chemistry, photochemistry, electronic spectroscopy, dipole moments, heterocyclic chemistry, food chemistry, environmental chemistry, coordination chemistry, structural chemistry
Dr. G. Sui [email protected] Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Microfluidics for cancer diagnosis and research, microfluidics for preparation of quantum dots, drug delivery
Dr. A.Terentis [email protected] Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Biophysical and bioanalytical chemistry, small-molecule binding to DNA and RNA, bioanalytical applications of confocal raman microscopy, oxygenase enzyme catalysis
Dr. S. Vetter [email protected] Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Metalloenzyme engineering, protein chemistry, antiobiotic biotechnology
Dr. L. West [email protected] Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Drugs from the sea
Dr. J. Baldwin [email protected] Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Population genetics and reproductive biology, marine behavioral
Dr. H. Weissbach [email protected] Research Professor and Director, CMBB Chemistry & Biochemistry Oxidative damage,aging research, molecular biology., biochemistry
Dr.A. Azarolo [email protected] Assistant Professor Biomedical Science Influence of sec hormones on autoimmune eye disease
Dr. K. Brew [email protected] Professor Biomedical Science Protein engineering, glycobiology
Dr. M. Caputi [email protected] Associate Professor Biomedical Science Viral and cellular RNA processing, apoptosis
Dr. K. Guthrie [email protected] Assistant Professor Biomedical Science Neorobiology, risk-taking behavior, quantitative
Dr. Z. Li [email protected] Assistant Professor Biomedical Science RNA metabolism, oxidative stress, biodefense
Dr. H. Prentice [email protected] Associate Professor Biomedical Science Hypoxia and the cardiovascular system
Dr. S. Pomponi [email protected] VP & Director of Rresearch Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Marine invertebrate cell culture
Dr. A. Wright [email protected] Division Director Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Drugs from the sea
Dr. V. Paul [email protected] Head Scientiest & Ecologist Smithsonian Institution, Ft. Pierce Ecological roles of marine natural products
Dr. P. Griffin [email protected] Chair, Head of Molecular Therapeutics Scripps Florida Probing ligand interactions by hydrogen deuterium exchange
Dr. C. Liang [email protected] Associate Professor Scripps Florida Novel protein kinase inhibitors as therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and asthma
Contact
• Must use FAU E- Mail only (no exceptions)• Clear E-Mails frequently from MYFAU (don’t exceed
quota)• Web site is constantly updated (check FAQs)• Course related questions- advisor/Faculty• TA/RA support- Jennifer Soberon/advisor (read
FAQs)• TA lab assignment- contact Dr. J. Haky• Paperwork, pay check, TA contract- contact Jennifer
Soberon• General questions, help- contact- Eva John• Policy, candidacy and graduation issues-contact Dr.
Narayanan, [email protected]
