About Us

The Biotechnology Training Program (BTP) at Northwestern University, which is funded by a grant from NIGMS (T32 GM008449), supports a series of core activities for training a select group of students. Yet, these activities have also served to nucleate the biotechnology community and provide numerous training opportunities for the Northwestern community. The program stresses the interdisciplinary nature of biotechnology training through course work, research, industrial internships, seminars and other opportunities that broaden the students’ training in and understanding of modern biotechnology. The emphasis lies primarily with the technical aspects of biotechnology, though the students are exposed to organizational and ethical aspects of the biotechnology enterprise, professionalism, and opportunities for trainees to enhance their understanding of the industry. Successful research and training in biotechnology requires collaborations among researchers working in diverse areas, a strength of the Northwestern environment. In this spirit, this program brings together faculty and trainees from engineering, life sciences, and chemistry that represent multiple schools and departments within the University.

The Biotechnology Training Program is committed to promoting excellence in graduate education and research. We believe that having different voices at the table means hearing different points of view, which makes our program stronger. As an essential part of our mission, we strive to create an environment that values all aspects of diversity including race or ethnicity, religion, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality or place of origin, disability, neurodiversity, and diverse life experiences.  We believe in providing access and opportunities equitably to all members of the community and valuing all voices. BTP leadership, faculty, and trainees take actions that promote recruitment, inclusion and retention. BTP is committed to taking anti-racist actions within our program, and to helping our trainees and preceptors to take such actions in general. We commit to continual self-evaluation, striving for improvement, and collaborating with our affiliated graduate programs, labs, and departments and Northwestern to pursue these goals.To learn more about BTP’s program outcomes and activities related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and related resources, please visit the BTP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website.

Outcomes:

• BTP students who entered the program in 2009 had an average PhD completion time of 5.9 years.
• Based on the students supported by this T32 grant and entered the PhD program in in the 2009-2010 academic year, 100% successfully attained a PhD.
• Students supported by this program had an average of 4.37 publications per student during their enrollment at Northwestern.
• Trainees in the last five years: 21% Underrepresented Minority; 79% Non Underrepresented Minority.

Career Placement:

For more info please go to our Program Outcome page!