The Departments of History and Sociology at UC Santa Cruz are recruiting PhD students to begin in Fall 2023 to pursue research on stem cells.
UC Santa Cruz is known for its reputation as a center for the study of science (e.g. feminist science studies, multispecies studies, the study of race and genomics, science and justice).
In pursuing a research agenda situated in Stem Cell Justice, PhD students will have the opportunity to become part of our cross-divisional community of scholars. Students will participate in various transdisciplinary forums that may include the Center for Cultural Studies (CCS), the program in Global and Community Health (GCH), the Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells (IBSC), the Science & Justice Research Center (SJRC), and events regularly sponsored by the Departments of History of Consciousness, Anthropology, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Feminist Studies, History, Sociology, and Politics.
In addition to university support coordinated by the departments, successful PhD applicants are invited to apply for a fellowship in a future year of study. Fellowship funding is provided from a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine overseen by the UCSC Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells (IBSC) who coordinates opportunities for training and research related to the biology of stem cells. IBSC Directors Lindsay Hinck (Professor, MCD Biology) and Camilla Forsberg (Professor, Biomolecular Engineering) lead the institute’s stem cell training and career development programs.
History and Sociology mentoring faculty are particularly interested in the following areas of study:
- Jennifer Derr (History) My research agenda engages the relationship between the histories of science and medicine and those of capitalism. A portion of this agenda relates to questions of bioethics and the social relations that undergird particular research agendas, such as those bound up with stem cell research. My own research is situated in the Middle East and North Africa. I am particularly well-suited to advise trainees on the implications of stem cell research for the Global South.
- Jenny Reardon (Sociology) My research draws into focus questions about identity, justice and democracy that are often silently embedded in scientific ideas and practices. My training spans molecular biology, ecology, the history of biology, science studies, feminist and critical race studies, and the sociology of science, technology and medicine. I am also the Founding Director of the Science & Justice Research Center, and oversee the Science & Justice Training Program, a nationally and internationally recognized training program that teaches graduate students in science and engineering how to respond to the places where questions of ethics and justice meet questions of science and knowledge. I am particularly well-suited to advise students on the governance of stem cell science and the emergence of novel uses of stem cell research in areas such as agriculture.
More information about the funding can be found in this campus news article: Stem cell agency funds research training program at UC Santa Cruz
CONTACT
Further information about each research center or department’s PhD program can be found on their websites. Please contact the faculty mentor, center manager or department graduate program coordinator with questions regarding participating in their research group or applying to their program.
Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells (IBSC) | Directors Lindsay Hinck (lhinck@ucsc.edu) and Camilla Forsberg (cforsber@ucsc.edu); IBSC Program Manager (ibsc@ucsc.edu)
https://ibsc.ucsc.edu/ibsc-home
Science & Justice Research Center (SJRC) | Founding Director Jenny Reardon (reardon1@ucsc.edu); Manager Colleen Stone (colleen@ucsc.edu)
History | Professor Jennifer L. Derr (jderr@ucsc.edu); Coordinator Cindy Morris (morrisc@ucsc.edu)
https://history.ucsc.edu/graduate/index.html
Sociology | Professor Jenny Reardon (reardon1@ucsc.edu); Coordinator (socyga@ucsc.edu)
https://sociology.ucsc.edu/graduate/prospective-students/index.html
APPLICATIONS
The UC Santa Cruz online PhD application for Fall 2023 will be available beginning October 1st (unless otherwise noted), and closes at 11:59 pm PST on the day of the program’s deadline (available here). Admission is for fall quarter only, there is no year-round admission.
Application process: Students should discuss their proposed area of research in stem cells in their Personal Statement. Upon being accepted to a PhD program, students will apply to the IBSC CIRM training program fellowship as a current UCSC PhD student. To participate in the next IBSC program cohort beginning in January, application forms will be made available in late summer and can be found at the bottom of the following webpage: https://ibsc.ucsc.edu/graduate-student-training/cirm-training-graduate-students.