The G-RISE program at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus (UPR-RP) will mainly support the biomedical Ph.D. programs at the Departments of Chemistry and Biology of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The goals of G-RISE at UPR-RP are to increase the number of students that will successfully complete a doctoral degree in a biomedical related area. Our measurable goal will be that 90% of the participating students will complete doctoral degrees, while 70% of these will continue postdoctoral or research work in the biomedical sciences. The program will achieve and maintain competitiveness of a diversified cohort of 25 graduate students in their research areas by broadening, strengthening and enhancing their research, academic and professional skills. These goals will be achieved by a continuous research experience, workshops and seminars designed to improve professional skills, attendance and presentation of results at national scientific meetings, workshops and short courses on topics of new trends in biomedical research and modern techniques offered by established visiting professors or scientists, seminar series in the frontiers of cellular, molecular and chemical biology, area conferences in themes of mutual interest to research groups at UPR-RP, improvement of student’s proficiency in English to communicate their scientific results, workshops and seminars for professional skill development in laboratory safety, improvement of student’s skills to manage time, and stress while seeking a balance between graduate studies and personal life, among others. In addition, students will receive training in responsible conduct of research, ethics, and instruction in methods for enhancing reproducibility. Our training results will be properly disseminated among the scientific community by different means as well as the G-RISE student academic achievements.

The goal of the G-RISE Program at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras campus is to support educational and research activities that will enhance the diversity and quality of the biomedical and research workforce at UPR-RP by means of supporting capacity building activities with a primary focus on achieving a continuous research experience as well as workshops and seminars designed to improve the students’ professional skills. We are expecting to deliver the next generation of a well-qualified biomedical workforce.