Graduate Education

Tissue Microenvironment (TiME) Training Program

The Tissue Microenvironment (TiME) Training Program is a university-wide training program for graduate students, supported by a T32 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Tissue microenvironments are critical to advancing biomedical science and healthcare, from regenerative medicine to cancer burden management. To this end, the integration of three technological approaches is essential:

• imaging and sensing to measure the TiME’s molecular, cellular, biochemical, and physiologic properties,
• bioengineering to recapitulate the heterotypic cellular and physicochemical milieu, and
• computational modeling and analytics to integrate understanding and provide insight.

Through intensive mentoring and structured professional development activities, trainees will become the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders capable of conducting fundamental research and enabling translational advances.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has exceptionally strong disciplinary programs, a diverse faculty spanning the intellectual arc of these areas, and appropriate facilities and unique resources in each of these technological areas. This training program is distinctly advantaged by our strong history of successful graduate training, including a commitment to diversity and individuals with disabilities, a culture of productive collaboration, a new Department of Bioengineering, and strong institutional support.

Current Cohort

Joining the TiME Program

Application Information

The Tissue Microenvironment (TiME) Training Program is a university-wide training program for graduate students, supported by a T32 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The program is recruiting the next cohort of trainees. Applications and recommendation letters are due June 28, 2024.

Eligibility

• Must be a pre-doctoral student with at least two years of graduate school experience.
• Must commit to two full years of TiMe training (i.e., cannot graduate before the end of two years of training).
• Must be a University of Illinois student.
• Strong research interest in the tissue microenvironment.
• U.S. and non-U.S. citizens are eligible.

Application Requirements

• A CV.
• A one-page description of your current research.
• Provide two letters of recommendation from faculty, including one (1) from your faculty supervisor.
• A brief summary of why you would be a good candidate for this training position, especially showing how your research would span the themes of the training program. The summary should be one page or shorter.
• A copy of your graduate transcript(s).