The Virus Imaging Training Program

A primary goal of the W. M. Keck Center for Virus Imaging is to maintain and nurture a predoctoral and postdoctoral training program in virology to train a new generation of scientists who will take full advantage of the Center’s unique opportunities to develop new strategies for antiviral therapies and vaccines. These trainees will have an important impact on the future of public health. 

UTMB is an internationally recognized leader in the study of emerging diseases.  This success is due in part to the recruitment of renowned investigators in virology, bacteriology and related fields, many of whom are leaders in traditional approaches to the study of pathogenesis and disease transmission.  In addition, UTMB maintains state-of-the-art, high security facilities (BSL-3 and -4) for studying emerging agents. 

W. M. Keck Center for Virus Imaging will fund three (3) predoctoral and three (3) postdoctoral trainees.   Applicants may be U.S. citizens, Permanent Residents or Foreign Nationals.  The application process is open-ended, and applications will be considered when received and when funds are available.

Predoctoral applicants will be identified through the UTMB Basic Biomedical Science Curriculum Program, The University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Baylor College of Medicine Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics.   Applicants may also come through more specialized programs including the Structural Biology, Experimental Pathology and Microbiology & Immunology Programs at UTMB.  Predoctoral applicants will be in years 2-4 of school and must have a primary mentor for the training program.

Postdoctoral applicants must be engaged in virology and structural biology research and have a primary and secondary mentor for the training program. 

Trainees will be selected based on academic background, potential as an independent biomedical researcher, quality of the proposed mentor’s lab as a research and training environment, and the trainee’s desire to pursue a project taking full advantage of the W.M. Keck Center for Structural Virology and related facilities and resources. Trainees will be supported for 2-3 years, subject to adequate progress.