The Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics (GGB) Graduate Program leads to conferral of a Ph.D. in GGB, with a subspecialization in one of three curricular tracks: Molecular Genetics, Evolution and Population Genetics, and Genomics/Bioinformatics. The GGB Program also administers a full undergraduate curriculum in Genomics/Bioinformatics within the Biological Sciences major.

Our program is diverse, with research opportunities ranging from plant breeding to population/evolutionary genetics to molecular biology to bioinformatics. Robust cross-disciplinary interactions are fostered, using Genetics as a common theme. These collaborations often bridge fundamental and applied genetics that merge the basic and agricultural life sciences with statistics and computer sciences. This same intellectual diversity also offers incoming students a wide variety of choices for conducting their dissertation research. Trainees are able to choose among one of the three available curricular tracks. These tracks have been created so that there is significant overlap in coursework. Personalized academic programs are easily developed

(a): The Molecular Genetics track provides the opportunity for students to carry out their dissertation research choosing among a wide variety of experimental systems ranging from microbes to plants to animals. Required coursework is delivered by faculty from traditional Biology and Biochemistry departments along with representatives from our agricultural departments. As such, our students receive a broad training that fosters new perspectives on their own research.

(b). The Evolution and Population Genetics track is administered by faculty who are also active participants in the Evolution and Ecology Graduate Research Unit (GRU). The recent NRC rankings placed the "E&E" GRU in the upper quartile of such graduate groups. Research opportunities for interested trainees include quantitative genetics, population structure and dynamics, systematics and mechanisms of molecular evolution, and conservation biology; importantly, students will find that microbial, plant and animal systems are studied within each of these broad categories.

(c). The Genomics & Bioinformatics track was implemented in the 2001-2002 academic year and is rapidly becoming a very popular option within the GGB Ph.D. program. The track melds relevant Statistics, Computer Science and Life Science courses into a flexible curriculum that would appeal to computationally-oriented informaticians or to "wet-bench" -oriented genomicists. This curricular track has helped the GGB retain its unique identity in an environment of rapid programmatic expansion in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Our program is student-oriented. The students are direct participants in program management via representation to our faculty meetings. The students identify and host outside speakers at our annual Lake Arrowhead retreat and during our Spring quarter seminar series. These responsibilities have enabled new networking opportunities as our students look to their futures. Recently, we have added student membership to our admissions committee, which provides an additional perspective on our efforts to mold the future of our program. The students freely discuss issues confronting the GGB Program and convey their findings and recommendations to the faculty.

Facilities used to support graduate research are excellent at UC-Riverside and access to them better enabled through the interdisciplinary nature of our faculty. These facilities include the new Genomics Institute; Center for Plant Cell Biology; Imaging Center; the Analytical Chemistry Instrumentation Facility; a new transgenic plant growth facility; and a new insectary, among many other resources. The size and disciplinary breadth of our GGB Program faculty enables access to each of these facilities, and it is a simple matter for students to identify local expertise in virtually all facets of contemporary genetics, including statistical and computing support.