UC, Fresno State team on doctorates

The National Institutes of Health awarded a grant that will help under-represented minority students from Fresno State earn doctoral degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences at UC Merced.

UC Merced Professor Andy LiWang and Fresno State Professor Krish Krishnan were awarded a nearly $1.4 million Bridges to the Doctorate grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

The program will recruit four to eight Fresno State students each year who demonstrate the commitment and potential to complete a doctorate at UC Merced. The grant is the first of its kind at UC Merced and will support and train 36 students over five years.

Beginning this fall, selected students will complete their master’s degree training with Krishnan and affiliated faculty members at Fresno State.

Eligible to apply are students who are in the master’s program during their first semester or seniors finishing their bachelor’s degrees and planning to start a master’s program, Krishnan said.

At Fresno State, the students will receive financial support and academic guidance as they develop scientific and research skills. They will also complete summer internships at UC Merced.

In addition to the tuition, students will be paid a stipend of $12,000 per year. Students will receive research money, GRE training, interact with other under-represented population scholars and travel to national meetings, Krishnan said.

Upon completion of their master’s degrees, students will transition to more intensive research and study in a doctoral program at UC Merced.

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 5:51 PM with the headline "UC, Fresno State team on doctorates."