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Masters Overview
- In the first year of training, master’s students will complete core coursework and attend seminars, the annual retreat, and the regulatory science symposium. They will also select a laboratory, form a graduate advisory committee, and begin conducting research. During the summer following the first year in the program, they can participate in an optional externship.
- In the second year, they will take elective coursework, continue to attend seminars and annual symposia, and conduct research toward the goal of writing and defending a master’s thesis.
Doctoral Overview
- In the first year of training, doctoral students will select a laboratory, complete core coursework, and attend seminars, the annual retreat, and the regulatory science symposium. During the summer following year one in the program, they will conduct externship training.
- In the second year, they will take elective coursework, conduct research and identify a research project, form a graduate advisory committee, and complete preliminary examinations.
- For the duration of their time in the program, they will continue to attend seminars and annual symposia, conduct research, and present a seminar in the Toxicology Seminar Series. They will ultimately write and defend their doctoral dissertation.
Postdoctoral Overview
- In addition to conducting research, postdoctoral trainees will audit courses, attend seminars, the annual retreat, and the regulatory science symposium. They will apply for and conduct externship training, and present a seminar in the Toxicology Seminar Series.
- They will also be exposed to grant-writing symposia and will prepare and submit grant applications as they transition to independent researchers.
NIEHS-Funded Training Program in Regulatory Science
- Texas A&M’s Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology includes a dedicated NIH-funded (T32) program in “Regulatory Science in Environmental Health and Toxicology.” It supports four pre-doctoral (Ph.D. candidates) and two post-doctoral trainees per year who are US citizens or legal permanent residents (green card holders).
- This program is designed to prepare trainees to function as independent researchers and/or practitioners in a multidisciplinary setting, by providing training in mechanistic research and risk assessment with a focus on scientifically sound, risk-based regulatory evaluations of the effects of chemicals on human health and the environment. To achieve this goal, we have assembled a team of outstanding investigators who specialize in toxicology, public health, risk assessment, exposure science, geochemistry, cancer biology, epidemiology, and statistics.
- Recruitment into this program is conducted through traditional external advertisement, as well as from the externally-funded Texas A&M research experience for undergraduates and public health and toxicology masters-level traineeship programs.
- Trainees undertake two laboratory rotations in their first year in the program and follow a structured core academic curriculum that includes basic and advanced toxicology, pathology, biochemistry, statistics, and research ethics, combined with courses in risk assessment and exposure assessment.
- In the second year, additional specialized training in either a “Mechanistic Research” or a “Health Assessment” track is offered through elective courses that will further prepare trainees for careers in research and/or public health practice.
- A distinctive feature of the program is a strongly encouraged hands-on summer externship through a broad and diverse network of state and federal government regulatory agencies, as well as industry and non-governmental organizations.
- Following the first two years, trainee support for both pre- and post-doctoral fellows shifts to their mentor’s or independent funding. The mentors have strong records of competitive support from federal, state, and other sources. This group is exceptionally well-balanced with respect to expertise, gender, and academic career level.
- Graduates from the program will be highly successful in academia, industry, governmental agencies, and other professional settings and will improve public health protection through innovative and rigorous mechanistic research and risk assessment practices in support of science-based regulatory decision-making.
- If you are interested in this special program in regulatory science, apply to our program, and indicate your interest in your personal statement.
Key Documents for Trainees
