Our Scientists
Background and Purpose
The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) was created in 2014, under the leadership of former Associate Dean in the Carver College of Medicine (CCOM), Daniel Tranel, PhD. Its mission is to oversee graduate (PhD) and postdoctoral training in the biomedical sciences in the CCOM. The approximately 300 PhD students and approximately 200 postdoctoral scholars in CCOM faculty laboratories comprise the workforce that drives biomedical science productivity and extramural research funding.
Our Award-Winning Students
2025 Three Minute Thesis Competition
Four of our students were finalists in the University of Iowa’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, with one of our own, Katie Colling - Cancer Biology, winning first place. The campus-wide competition, held November 13 in the IMU, challenged graduate students to clearly and concisely articulate complex research to nonspecialist audiences.
The winning topic was "Turning Hormones into Hope for Uterine Cancer." The three other finalists were Immaculate Edwin - Genetics, "Outsmarting Treatment: Resistance in Low Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer"; Agatha Greenway - Molecular Medicine, "Mapping Migraine: Sex Differences and the Journey to Personalized Therapy"; and Kayla Reisch - Immunology, "Back in Action: Discovering Model Regulators to Combat T Cell Exhaustion."
Cancer Biology Student Katie Colling presents her first place 3-Minute Thesis.
Genetics Student Immaculate Edwin presents "Outsmarting Treatment: Resistance in Low Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer."
"Mapping Migraine: Sex Differences and the Journey to Personalized Therapy" is the topic presented by Molecular Medicine Student Agatha Greenway.
Training and Professional Development
A major focus of our graduate programs is preparing students and making them competitive for both traditional career outcomes (e.g., independent scientist positions at research-intensive institutions), and other career outcomes where PhD training is vital (e.g., teaching positions at liberal arts colleges and universities, research positions in biotechnology and industry, administrative positions in government, and media positions). In conjunction with the Office of UI Grad Success, the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies provides professional development and career skills training across the biomedical programs, to ensure that students acquire appropriate skill sets to compete at the next level.
Fall Break - November 24 - 30
Deadline for Biomedical Science Graduate Studies Application - December 1
