Getting Involved in BBSP
How Faculty Are Involved in BBSP
BBSP faculty are essential to our success as one of the top PhD programs in the US. They contribute in large and small ways throughout the year for scientists at different stages of their journeys. Here you can find more information about how to contribute to our thriving community.
Each year, BBSP receives over 1,900 applications and interviews over 300 potential students. Over 70 faculty contribute to our admissions process each year by reviewing applications, interviewing applicants, hosting dinners at their homes, and communicating regularly with admitted students to recruit them to UNC. To get involved with BBSP admissions, contact Jeff Steinbach who oversees the whole process.
During their first year of graduate school, BBSP students meet weekly with their First Year Group (FYG). FYGs create a sense of community between students across disciplines, more advanced graduate students, and faculty. Our first-years appreciate FYG for the feeling that they are supported and there are multiple people they can turn to with questions. In addition, FYGs help students to develop scientific communication skills, interpersonal skills, and research integrity skills.
Faculty contribute to FYG by serving as mentors to individual students, offering advice on choosing rotations, what to look for in a mentor, and overall success in the first year. FYG mentors also lead or co-lead classes throughout the year so that students have opportunities to hear multiple perspectives on important topics in science.
If you’re interested in contributing to FYG as a faculty mentor, contact Dave McDonald.
We offer many opportunities for faculty to meet first-year students and set up rotations. You can post an ad on the BBSP Student Rotation forum click here (requires onyen log-in). You can meet students during Orientation and throughout their first year by attending events hosted by the PhD programs (contact your Director of Graduate Studies). Many of our students also meet their rotation mentors during admissions interviews, and we’ve seen that faculty who interview more than 9 applicants throughout recruitment have higher numbers of rotation students.
In addition to PhD students, the Office of Graduate Education has other programs that can help you to recruit students to your lab who are earlier in their academic careers: