Training

Keck Center Training Programs

The training arm of the Gulf Coast Consortia offers world-class opportunities for training, mentorship, and interaction with faculty leaders and others engaged in interdisciplinary bioscience research.

The Keck Center brings together computational, physical, mathematical, engineering, and biological scientists in a stimulating and nurturing environment for the development and training of a new type of scientist–one who can incorporate theory, simulation, and experiment to expand our understanding of modern biological problems. Pre- and Postdoctoral trainees are provided an intellectual environment for considering problems that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, as well as training opportunities with mentors in different disciplines.

Keck Seminar Information

33rd Keck Annual Research Conference

New Frontiers in RNA Biology and Therapeutics

The past decade has witnessed exponential growth of RNA research that demonstrated their essential roles as regulatory molecules, as tools for bioengineering, and as therapeutic targets. This year’s conference focuses on major RNA discoveries with an emphasis on cutting-edge RNA research, engineering and RNA-based therapeutics. It brings together experts in the field of RNA biology to discuss the current advances in a broad range of important processes and the promise of RNA medicine. The conference and poster session will also highlight the outstanding research underway by predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in the seven inter-institutional training programs administered by the GCC/Keck Center in the greater Houston area. Don’t miss this exciting conference and poster session.

Confirmed speakers are:

James Chappell, PhD, Rice Univ;
Jimena Giudice, PhD, UNC Chapel Hill;
Haifan Lin, PhD, Yale School of Medicine: The Piwi-piRNA Pathway: a New World of Genetic Regulation in the Germline
Samie Jaffrey, PhD, Weill Medical College of Cornell Univ;
Anastasia Khvorova, PhD, UMass, Chan Medical School;
Lydia Conreras, PhD, UT Austin.

2023 Keck Conference co-chairs are Wenbo Li, PhD, UTHealth, and Monica Pillon, Baylor College of Medicine.

Location: Bioscience Research Collaborative, 6500 Main St., Houston. Friday, October 20, 2023.

Conference Website

Annual Research Conference Poster Session

Training Programs

Texas Medical Center Training Program in Antimicrobial Resistance (TPAMR)

Training Program in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science (NLM)

The Cancer Therapeutics Training Program (CTTP)

Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS)

Molecular Basis of Infectious Diseases (MBID)

Houston Area Molecular Biophysics Training Program (HAMBP)

Training in Precision Environmental Health Sciences (TPEHS)

Keck Seminar

Rigor and Reproducibility Resource Page

The 32nd Keck Annual Research Conference was held on October 21, 2022. Theme: Structural Biology: Past, Present, and Future. Previous conferences include:

31st Keck Annual Research Conference, October 22, 2021. Theme: Infectious Diseases: Emerging Threats and Emerging Technologies.
30th Keck Annual Research Conference, Oct. 29-30, 2020 (virtual). Theme: Keck Center 2020 and Beyond: A Science Odyssey.
29th Keck Annual Research Conference. October 11, 2019. Theme: Environmental Health Sciences.

Keck Seminar Series: 4:00 pm Fridays during the academic year
BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC), 6500 Main @ University, Rice University.
Trainees supported by the GCC are required to attend the seminars in person.

The Keck Seminar Series, begun in 1990, focuses on contemporary interdisciplinary science involving quantitative or computational, biomedical informatics and data science, bioinformatics, chemical, and/or physical approaches to biological and biomedical problems. The speakers, selected by a committee of GCC-supported trainees, are drawn from GCC institutions, and institutions nationwide. Everyone is welcome to attend. The Keck Seminar Series is also a 1-credit graduate course at Rice University, BIOC 592 “Topics in Quantitative Biology & Biomedical Informatics.”

Acknowledging Keck Center Support
Are you participating in a Keck Center training program? Don’t forget that Keck Center trainees are required to acknowledge their fellowship funding support on all publications, abstracts, and posters resulting from their fellowship project. You will find the grant number of your program on your appointment letter as well as on the web page of your training program.

Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
The GCC supports the NIH’s strong encouragement that every graduate student or postdoc supported by any NIH training grant, fellowship, or research grant have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) (NOT-OD-14-113) as a career development tool. Although institutions are responsible for implementation of and compliance with this notice for their trainees, the GCC monitors that our fellows have completed an IDP every year. One popular tool for creating an IDP is AAAS myIDP. IDP workshops are one of the professional development activities that the GCC sponsors.

The Gulf Coast Consortia is committed to providing equal opportunity in training for individuals with disabilities, and individuals from racial and ethnic groups, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are currently underrepresented in STEM fields. We welcome applications from all qualified trainees, regardless of ethnicity, race, background, or disability status. All GCC member institutions are ADAAA compliant and have offices of disability support services that provide accommodations and support services to trainees, faculty, staff, and visitors.