THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE STOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH

THE MISSION OF GSSIMR IS TO PREPARE A SUPERB CADRE OF PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR THE PURSUIT OF INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE INVESTIGATIONS IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. ALL SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS SHARE A DEMONSTRATED ABILITY TO PERFORM BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, AS EVIDENCED BY PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. THE PROGRAM FOCUSES ON EXTENDING THE ABILITY OF PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS (STUDENTS) THROUGH HANDS-ON LABORATORY EXPERIENCE THAT STRESSES HIGHLY CRITICAL THINKING IN COMBINATION WITH IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCE IN THE LATEST METHODOLOGIES AND APPROACHES. STUDENTS PERFORM THESIS RESEARCH IN LABORATORIES WORKING AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF MODERN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY. IN AN AVERAGE TIME OF SIX YEARS FROM MATRICULATION, STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND EXECUTE A RESEARCH PROJECT THAT ADDRESSES A SIGNIFICANT BIOLOGICAL QUESTION, WHICH WILL RESULT IN A PH.D. IN BIOLOGY. THE PROGRAM OF GSSIMR STRESSES CRITICAL THINKING AND THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL PROWESS, INSTEAD OF TRADITIONAL DIDACTIC COURSEWORK. IN AUGUST, THE PH.D. PROGRAM STARTS WITH A SERIES OF SEVEN INTENSIVE ALL-DAY MODULAR COURSES WITH TOPICS INCLUDING GENETICS, GENE EXPRESSION, GENOMICS, PROKARYOTIC BIOLOGY, CELL BIOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION, AND NEUROSCIENCE. THE MODULES INCLUDE SIGNIFICANT LAB WORK, AS WELL AS LECTURES AND CRITICAL READING AND DISCUSSION OF RELEVANT PAPERS. IN SPRING OF THEIR FIRST YEAR, STUDENTS ENGAGE IN THREE CONSECUTIVE TWO-MONTH ROTATIONS IN LABS OF THEIR CHOICE. UNDISTRACTED BY TRADITIONAL COURSEWORK, EXPECTATIONS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH FOR STUDENTS TO FOCUS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON A SHORT-TERM RESEARCH PROJECT. STUDENTS ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A COURSE THAT IS DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NECESSARY PROFICIENCY IN SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION. STUDENTS ENTER THEIR THESIS LABS IN JUNE OF THEIR FIRST YEAR AND UNDERGO AN ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, PERFORMANCE, AND RESEARCH PROGRESS WITHIN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THEIR THESIS RESEARCH. UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS, STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY INTERESTING BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, DEVISE AND CREATE INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO THOSE PROBLEMS, AND EXECUTE INVESTIGATIONS USING THE BEST TOOLS AVAILABLE. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN THE CORE COMPETENCIES BY THE END OF THEIR PROGRAM. THE COMPLETION OF A BODY OF RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES A SIGNIFICANT BIOLOGICAL PROBLEM AND IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN AT LEAST ONE PUBLICATION IN A HIGH-IMPACT JOURNAL IS REQUIRED FOR THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PH.D. RESEARCH PROGRAM. THE PUBLICATION FORMS THE MAIN BODY OF A THESIS. A DETAILED LITERATURE REVIEW PRECEDES THE THESIS AND A DISCUSSION OF THE POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS IN THE RESEARCH FOLLOWS THE THESIS. PRESENTATION OF AN OPEN SEMINAR ALSO IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE RESEARCH PROGRAM. GSSIMR ADMITTED ITS FIRST CLASS TO BEGIN THE PH.D. PROGRAM IN AUGUST 2012 AND HAS ADMITTED A NEW CLASS EACH AUGUST. AS OF JUNE 30, 2025, THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF 45 STUDENTS WITH VARIOUS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BACKGROUNDS FROM 24 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. 40 PH.D. DEGREES HAVE BEEN CONFERRED SINCE THE 2016-2017 ACADEMIC YEAR.

THE FOLLOWING PERSONS WITH RESPECT TO A RELATED ORGANZATION, STOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH (SIMR), PARTICIPATED IN A SUPPLEMENTAL NONQUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLAN. ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ ALVARADO - ACCRUAL OF $719,697 AND $0 DISTRIBUTION. MATTHEW C. GIBSON - ACCRUAL OF $151,515 AND $0 DISTRIBUTION.