The UCLA MSTP requires at least two research rotations before selection of a PhD thesis laboratory. Those in the Social Science Track are required to secure a research mentor in advance of their PhD. Students are strongly encouraged to complete one of their research rotations in the summer preceding the first year of medical school. Students complete remaining research rotations during their MS2 year. If necessary, the MSTP also supports an additional research rotation after the MS2 to ensure students find an appropriate research mentor. The structure of the pre-clinical didactic curriculum with significant unscheduled time is ideal for MSTP students, providing students with the flexibility to participate in lab meetings, journal clubs, or bench research during the first year in the program.
The range of research opportunities at UCLA and Caltech is extraordinary. Upon acceptance into the program, students are assigned to one of the program co-directors or associate directors, who serve as their primary program mentor. Students and their program mentors meet multiple times each year to identify faculty and research labs in the student’s area of interest, provide advice and guidance throughout graduate school, and facilitate smooth transitions between MD and PhD phases of training. Further mentorship is provided to Caltech trainees by the MSTP Associate Director at Caltech and to Social Sciences Track trainees by the MSTP Associate Director for Social Sciences.
The following websites are a few of the many useful resources for learning about faculty research interests.
At UCLA:
UCLA Graduate Program in Biosciences (GPB)
The GPB is a consortium of twelve Home Areas, each consisting of an interdepartmental group of faculty and students with shared interests in research areas and approaches. Each interdepartmental Home Area is aligned with a Ph.D.-granting program, provides in-depth, cutting-edge training, and offers access to a wide variety of exceptional faculty mentors. Home Areas break down conventional institutional divisions and serve as a nexus for inquiry, training, and discovery in research themes where UCLA faculty members are leaders.
UCLA Center for Social Medicine and Humanities
The UCLA Center for Social Medicine is a community of scholars bringing insights from the social sciences and humanities to bear on the urgent challenges of health, disease, and scientific and clinical practice. It serves as the foundation for training, research mentor selection, and exchange of ideas for students in the MSTP Social Sciences Track.
UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
The UCLA Samueli is at the forefront of technological innovation, at one of the most respected research universities in the world. Under the guidance of a distinguished faculty member, students can pursue PhD in several graduate programs, including bioengineering, chemical and biochemical engineering, computer science, computational medicine, and others.
MSTP students may also pursue PhD training through additional individual degree-granting programs at UCLA. We encourage you to contact the MSTP program directors and specific degree granting programs to explore these possibilities.
At Caltech:
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE)
BBE focuses on advancing investigations of and expanding knowledge about the nature of life- from a single molecule to an entire organism. Through interdisciplinary programs of study and research, faculty and students address complex questions related to how living things evolve, develop, and function, and then use their findings to engineer innovative biological systems as well as medicines and other therapies.
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCE)
Faculty in CCE work at the forefront of their fields to advance knowledge in the areas of chemistry, chemical engineering, and biochemistry and molecular biophysics.
Division of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS)
EAS at Caltech is a collaborative community working at the leading edges of fundamental science to invent the technologies of the future.
