The goal of HHMI is to establish a unique training experience for undergraduate and graduate chemistry and biochemistry majors, aimed at creating the next generation of both scientist-leaders and scientist-entrepreneurs. We will build on current UT Austin programs that integrate research with undergraduate education to enhance experiential learning, but also uniquely expand them towards improving entry into professional school and improving entry into the corporate world. We will provide a foundation for future career outcomes from the earliest stages of the undergraduate experience, and pair this with mentorship and professional development opportunities for graduate students

In order to prepare students for graduate school and research careers beyond, we propose to develop two new programs, which will guide students towards different post-graduate careers. The Translational Research Initiative-Professional (TRIP) program’s goal is to guide and groom students, especially from underrepresented groups, early in their undergraduate careers. While many undergraduates find their way to graduate school, it is often a random walk based on encounters with teaching assistants and their professors. We propose to develop a more structured approach that promotes scaling, in which students will be brought into a research group, mentored by graduate students from the start, and involved in the pedagogical aspects of a graduate education as undergraduates, ultimately experiencing first hand what it means to become a professional scientist.

In order to prepare students for the workforce, for the corporate world, and to function as entrepreneurs, we propose to develop the Translational Research Initiative-Corporate (TRIC), which has the parallel goal of again guiding and grooming students, especially from underrepresented groups, but for a different outcome. Like TRIP, TRIC will provide students with a research experience, but will educate them in what it takes to work in the corporate world and then back this up by generating real work experience with companies. Our goal is for TRIC graduates to hit the ground running immediately following graduation and to begin their business arc, whether within an existing company or founding their own new one.