Given the nature of our interdisciplinary research we maintain a lab with critical mass both in computer science and molecular cell biology. We tend to host 10 – 12 trainees (postdocs, and graduate students) at any time. Trainees are supported by highly professional staff of 6 – 8 members and project managers, who offer unique expertise in bench and desk work and who ensure a longitudinal transfer of lab know-how between generations of trainees.
In such an environment, the graduate students and postdocs who excel are self-driven and willing to engage in rigorous peer-to-peer training. We also welcome applications from student and fellow candidates with explicit interests in dual-lab membership. At UTSW, we have longstanding collaborations with the Fiolka lab and Dean lab. More recently, we have started close interactions with the Rajaram lab. Other, applicant-initiated collaboration arrangements are possible as well.
While the lab is well-funded, the application for fellowships and other forms of independent funding is a mandatory part of the mentorship offered by Gaudenz Danuser, both at the graduate student and postdoctoral fellow levels. They are an invaluable element in building the trainees’ confidence in designing and effectively communicating research projects.