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Biotechnology Leadership Training Program
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Applying to the Biotechnology Training Program

Nominations to the Biotechnology Leadership Pre-doctoral Training Program will be solicited in March/April. Appointments are expected to begin in September. 

The Steering Committee meets to review nominations and recommend new trainee appointments. The program aims to have a trainee cohort with a diversity of personal and academic backgrounds. 

International students, individuals from under-represented minority groups, women, students with disabilities, mentor-supported students, and students who have fellowships are strongly encouraged to apply.

Evaluation Criteria include:

  • Eligibility
  • Academic excellence
  • Strong interest in the BLP's focus on industrial activities, career development, entrepreneurship
  • Clear commitment to future research in biotechnology
  • Ability to interact productively with others
  • Potential for collaborative research & industry interactions
  • Preference will be given to nominees who have completed at least one laboratory rotation project (or who provide a written commitment to do so)
  • Students may be appointed as trainees without receiving funding from the BLP. Several trainees currently in the BLP who do not receive funding from the BLP have fellowships (e.g., NSF, DOE), some of them are supported by their Division, and some are funded by their mentors on grants. Essentially, we consider all of these as "mentor-supported." Students may check the box indicating whether they are requesting partial funding from the BLP or are already fully funded from external sources.
  • Once someone is in the program, there is no distinction based on where their funding is from - all trainees are allowed to (and expected to) participate fully in the program.
  • Mentors may nominate more than one student per cycle. All of the nominees are considered in the same pool.
  • Students who are currently in their first (G1), second (G2), or third (G3) year at Caltech may apply to the program. Students who have not yet matriculated at Caltech are not eligible.
  • Lab rotations are short projects whose length depends upon the graduate option. 
  • Nomination packages cannot be submitted by students. The program will only consider packages submitted by a faculty mentor or a designated administrator.

Submitting a Nomination

The nomination package should be compiled into a single PDF labeled with the student's last name, submission date, and faculty mentor last name (2024‑BLP‑Application_Student-Last-Name_Submission-Date_Faculty-Mentor-Last-Name). The PDF must contain the following:

Required forms are provided as a fillable PDF here (only available for download from a Caltech IP address).

  • Student's CV/resume (1-3 pages)
  • Signed nomination letter from the faculty mentor, addressed to Dr. Frances Arnold on Department letterhead; the mentor should provide an evaluation of the student's aptitude for the program, and a commitment from the mentor to participate in BLP activities
  • A description of the kind of industrial biotechnology experience the student may pursue during their graduate studies (~100 words).
  • Student's 250-word "Personal Statement" describing their interest in the program and expected impact on their future career (250 words is about 1 page, double-spaced)
  • Nominee Information Form (completed and signed by student)
  • Internship Commitment Form (completed by student, signed by student and mentor)
  • Equal Opportunity Query Form (completed and signed by student)

Mentors (or a designated administrator) must submit the nomination package (as a single PDF) to: allisono@caltech.edu

*If email link fails to open, please type or copy/paste address into your email program of choice: allisono@caltech.edu.

Questions regarding preparation of the BLP application package can be directed to Allison Kinard (allisono@caltech.edu).