RESEARCH WITH IMPACT
The IGERT program provides PhD bioengineers and scientists with the technical skills, innovation mindset, and global vision to become national and international leaders in translational research. WPI’s multi-investigator research projects in biofabrication have the potential to transform medical practice. Research areas include soft tissue engineering, biological responses to natural and synthetic materials, and instrumentation for implantation and real-time assessments to guide medical interventions. IGERT trainees contribute to and benefit from this cuttingedge research and development.
IGERT trainees are a diverse cohort of forward-thinking PhD students with the attributes and intellectual capacity to develop solutions to important societal problems and an interest in translating their research into innovative products and processes. The curriculum integrates disciplinary studies with interdisciplinary research, coursework in translation and innovation, professional development and leadership training, internships with industry, and international experiences.
INNOVATION AND TRANSLATION
Cell-based therapies have tremendous potential to increase the quality of life for patients and to transform medical practice as we know it today. However, advances in this area have been limited by the inability to translate basic science research discoveries to therapies at a clinically relevant scale. WPI’s IGERT program’s focus on biofabrication directly addresses this gap between research and society’s need for clinical therapies for tissue regeneration.
The IGERT curriculum provides the translational skills and innovation mindset required to develop solutions to societal problems that will be relevant whether you choose a career as an entrepreneur, within industry or in academia.
The Innovation Module focuses on creativity strategies, opportunity identification, and team building. The Translational Module focuses on the real-world challenges of moving an innovation from the bench to product development and clinical trials
LEADERS WITH A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
The development of IGERT trainees as leaders is woven throughout the curriculum—beginning with the orientation Boot Camp that immerses IGERT trainees in WPI’s research community and continuing with course work modules that hone trainees’ research, communication, teaching, and mentorship skills, and deepen their understanding of research ethics. Active mentorship from WPI faculty and intensive career development support help launch students into the next phase of their careers. Professional development modules for the IGERT program are complemented by innovation modules designed collaboratively by engineering and science faculty and innovation experts in the WPI School of Business.
Students gain hands-on, real-world experience and forge a global perspective through either three-month internships with WPI’s local industry partners or international experiences that provide a firsthand perspective on research and translation in a global context. These opportunities build on WPI’s ongoing leadership in developing partnerships with the biomedical industry.