Forming Interdisciplinary Groups

The intent of the interdisciplinary groups is to advertise inter-departmental research strengths which may not be otherwise obvious.

Approved Interdisciplinary Groups and Their Representatives

• Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience – Lisa Renzi-Hammond
• Biology Education Research – Paula Lemons
• Cancer Biology –Michael Pierce 
  
• Cell Biology- Jacek Gaertig
• Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience – Jim Lauderdale
• Chemical Biology – Y. George Zheng
• Climate Change – Patricia Yager
• Computational Chemistry in Biology – Arthur Roberts & Eva Strauch 
• Developmental Biology – Brian Condie
• Drug Discovery & Development – Jason Zastre
• Epigenetics & Chromatin – Mary Goll
• Evolution & Ecology – Michael White
• Fungal Biology – Chang Hyun Khang
• Glycoscience – Gerald Hart
• Insect Biology – Gaelen Burke
• Structural Biology- John Rose
• Microbial Biotechnology – Christine Szymanski & Stephen Trent
• Microbial Physiology & Ecology – Diana Downs
• Molecular Plant Science – Esther van der Knaap
• Pathogens, Vaccines & Immunity – Wendy Watford
• Regenerative Medicine – Hongxiang Liu
• Systems Biology – Natarajan Kannan and Shaying Zhao

Proposing New Interdisciplinary Groups

To request formal affiliation of the proposed IG with ILS, send the request to the ILS Director, making sure to include and/or address each of the items noted below. The ILS Director will review the request and take appropriate action to accept or decline the request, and may consult with the Executive Committee.

1. The proposed IG must have a distinct interdisciplinary thematic focus and title, of 2-4 words. If the proposed title is similar to that of an existing UGA department, institute, or graduate program, the relevant unit must approve the title for use by the IG.
2. The IG must contain 10 or more ILS-affiliated faculty who have agreed to be listed. Group membership cannot completely overlap with that of an existing IG.  Faculty must be from more than one participating department/institute (based on actual appointment, not adjunct status).
3. The IG must identify an individual from within its membership that is willing to act as the representative for the group.
4. The IG must provide an image and a brief description of the IG (approximately 500 characters) for use on the ILS web page that lists the IGs.
5. The IG should are strongly encouraged to develop an independent website that lists all UGA faculty whose research touches on the IG thematic area, inclusive of non-ILS faculty.  This website should provide detail about the Groups research and academic activities. The web page should prominently refer to the ILS program as a portal for entry to graduate studies in the area.
6. IGs are subject to periodic review.

Responsibilities of the IG Representative (or an appointed liaison)

The IG Representative is the point of contact between ILS and the IG. This individual should have a good appreciation for the research activities within the IG and be a willing participant in ILS graduate recruitment activities. We recommend that the representative not be someone who has significant administrative duties (e.g. Department Head, Graduate Coordinator).

1. Must be willing to field questions from prospective applicants interested in the IG.
2. Must be able to organize IG membership to assist the ILS Graduate Recruitment and Admission Committee with evaluation and recruitment of applicants that are specifically interested in the IG.
3. Must be willing to describe the IG thematic area to groups of prospective graduate students.
4. Should periodically review the content of the IG web page and the group’s independent website for accuracy.