Trainee Resources

Coursework

To ensure all CBP trainees have a foundation in the basics and familiarity with cutting edge examples of research at the chemistry-biology interface, you are required to take the one-quarter course Chemistry 238 - Introduction to Chemical Biology, which is usually offered in the Fall by CBP faculty. You are also required to take a course such as Chemistry 298 - Rigor & Reproducibility in Chemical Biology Research that has a biostat, RCR and R&R component. These courses should be completed in the soonest available quarter of the second year of graduate study (the first year of CBP support).

Any additional cross-training course is now optional. Descriptions of these courses are available in the UC Davis General Catalog. Please note that if reviewing via the catalog, there may be prerequisites listed that are different from what the program requires.

Recommended Courses for Chemistry-Biology Cross Training

For biology students
CHE240 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
CHE233 Physical-Organic Chemistry
CHE205 Symmetry, Spectroscopy and Structure
CHE226 Principles of Transition Metal Chemistry
CHE231A Organic Synthesis: Methods and Strategies
CHE211A Advanced Physical Chemistry: Statistical Mechanics
CHE217 Protein Crystallography
CHE245 Mechanistic Enzymology
CHE221F Chemical Glycobiology
CHE221D Chemical Biology of Cancer
For chemistry students
BCB210 Molecular Genetics & Genomics
BCB211 Macromolecular Structure & Interactions
BCB212 Cell Biology
BCB213 Developmental Biology
BCB214 Molecular Biology
BPH200A Biophysical Techniques
BPH241 Membrane Biology
BIM202 Cell and Molecular Biology for Engineers
BIM204 Physiology
PTX201 Principles of Pharmacology and Toxicology
NSC221 Cellular Neurophysiology

Laboratory Safety Training

Laboratory safety training is a key component of any graduate program in experimental science. All our trainees must understand the safety issues of both chemistry and biology laboratory settings; therefore, we require trainees to participate in the following courses:

Faculty trainers will provide their own lab-specific training and orientation and lab personnel and trainers will develop and implement a chemical hygiene plan with standard operating procedures and safety expectations for lab personnel.

Responsible Conduct of Research Program

The objective of the Responsible Conduct of Research Program is to provide graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, staff and NSF funded undergraduate students with information, training, and tools to address the increasingly complex issues that they will confront during their careers. The RCR program is used to satisfy NIH training grant requirements for responsible and ethical conduct of research training programs. The Research Ethics and Compliance Office (RECO) in the Office of Research administers the Responsible Conduct of Research Certification Program by upholding requirements set forth by granting bodies and UC Davis policies. Address RCR questions to the Research Ethics and Compliance Office, Elizabeth "Liz" Chase at RECO.

Trainees are expected to attend a minimum of eight sessions to meet the federal requirement and to receive a certificate of completion. Per NIH: "Instruction must be undertaken at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years."

In This Section

2025/2026 VIRTUAL WORKSHOP DATES ARE NOW AVAILABLE

RCR virtual workshops are offered the fourth Monday of every month at 11am and finish by noon. Registration is not required, simply join Zoom at https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/97617129322.

10/27/2025 “Bioethics, artificial intelligence and health science research”
Nick Anderson, Ph.D., Cardiff Professor of Biomedical Informatics
Chief, Division of Health Informatics, Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine
11/24/2025 “Ethics of HSR: Belmont & Beyond”
Stephen Falwell, Education Coordinator, UC Davis IRB
12/15/2025“Collaborative Research and Working with Industry”
Angela Haczku, MD., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine & Director, UC Davis Lung Center
1/26/2026 “Intellectual Property”
Byron Roberts, Ph.D., Senior IP Officer, UC Davis Technology Transfer Office
2/23/2026“Asking Different Questions: Accounting for Historical Bias in Research”
Sarah E. Rebolloso McCullough, Ph.D., Associate Director, Feminist Research Institute
3/23/2026 “Ethics of Biosafety in the Laboratory”
Philip Barruel, Program Manager, Environmental Health & Safety
Veronica Thron, Manager, Environmental Health & Safety
4/27/2026 Date Confirmed – Speaker to be announced
5/18/2026 Date Confirmed – Speaker to be announced
6/22/2026 Date Confirmed – Speaker to be announced

Cross Training Lab Rotations

You are required to participate in a one-quarter long rotation in a laboratory engaged in cross-disciplinary research complementary to your proposed thesis project. The rotation may take place in a lab that is currently involved in collaborative research with your lab, but this is not absolutely necessary, so long as the training experience will ultimately benefit your project. The rotation must also take place outside of your home department. The following are examples of acceptable cross training rotation plans:

Student A

Thesis Lab: Louie, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Thesis Project: Development and testing of new bi-modal imaging agents
Cross Training Rotation: Kauzlarich Lab, Department of Chemistry
Topic: Nanoparticle synthesis and characterization

Student B

Thesis Lab: Beal, Department of Chemistry
Thesis Project: Synthesis of nucleoside analog-containing RNA for study of RNA-editing enzyme
Cross Training Rotation: Segal Lab, Department of Molecular Medicine, Genome Center
Topic: Engineering custom DNA-binding proteins

Individual Development Plan

Each trainee of the CBP, working with their research adviser, will generate an Individual Development Plan (IDP)--a tailored career development tool that facilitates skills/knowledge assessment, setting goals, implementing action plans and evaluating progress. Research has shown that having a structured training program leads to greater success in a training program, which is why the National Institutes of Health (NIH) strongly encourages its use.

The IDP is between you and your research adviser; it will not be submitted to NIH. After the initial draft is created, you should meet with your research adviser to solicit their feedback. This document is intended to be dynamic and evolve over time. You should review your IDP with your research adviser and thesis committee at least once per year, though more frequent check-ins is advised in the first year to establish a strong foundation and enhance the training experience.

IDP Template (.doc)