The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology is pleased to welcome a new cohort of 10 graduate students to the Florida-based program of the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences.
The students join a rigorous lab science graduate program alongside 68 other graduate students pursuing their doctorates here in Palm Beach County.
This unique, hands-on, bi-coastal doctoral program is among the nation’s best, currently ranked #9 for biological sciences, #7 for chemistry, #4 for biochemistry, and #2 for organic chemistry, according to U.S. News and World Report.
This year saw a high number of applicants. In all, 1,753 prospective students applied, 104 received offers, and 53 accepted, said Paolo Garcia Castillo, admissions coordinator for the program. The students attend classes and committees led by faculty based both at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute and Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.
The Florida graduate program provides broad foundational training in the biomedical sciences, in an environment that is interdisciplinary and innovative, said Laura Solt, Ph.D., associate dean. It gives its students access to the vast resources of the University of Florida, the state’s flagship research university, home to one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, HiPerGator, she added.
“With so many recent advances in biochemistry, like immune therapy, next-generation mRNA vaccines, and new treatments for neurological and metabolic disorders, it is an exciting time to start your career in the biomedical sciences,” Solt said. “Let loose your curiosity, reach out to faculty, and ask questions.”
The New Skaggs Graduate Students at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute:
Student Name / Undergraduate Institution
- Chung-Wei Fu, National Sun Yat-Sen University
- Connor Wang, Johns Hopkins University
- James Parsons, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Victoria Schroeder-Finckh, University of St. Andrews
- Matthew Chvasta, Columbia University
- Aliyu Alghali, Brandeis University
- Yu Nishio, Grinnell College
- Diva Sansanwal, National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico
- Juan (Ju-An) Kim, University of California, Irvine
- Xueqi (Effy) Chu, University of Wisconsin-Madison