GSBSE @ JAX

A new GSBSE admission track with first year rotations at The Jackson Laboratory

Overview

GSBSE @ JAX is new admissions track into the UMaine GSBSE’s PhD in Biomedical Science that preserves GSBSE’s hallmark first year laboratory rotations within laboratories at The Jackson Laboratory, allowing students in the track to more deeply explore the research in a range of labs and develop their academic networks before committing to a home laboratory for the duration of the program.

For more information about Cooperative PhD Programs at JAX, please visit: https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/pre-and-postdoctoral-program/phd-programs

For more information about JAX, please visit: https://www.jax.org/

JAX Benefits

Earning your PhD while training at JAX provides doctoral students access to:

Training and mentoring by dedicated, world-class faculty
Unparalleled access to state-of-the-art mouse resources
Technical expertise of JAX’s comprehensive scientific services
JAX’s exceptional Courses & Conferences including The Whole Scientist integrated career development program
Administrative support and guidance from our Predoctoral & Postdoctoral Education Program
Academic research environment within a renowned, nonprofit institution
A collegial and collaborative community of fellow trainees

See a list of GSBSE affiliated faculty, students, and Alumni at JAX: https://gsbse.umaine.edu/people/location/the-jackson-laboratory/

JAX Student Community

Doctoral students at JAX are part of a robust community of trainees from across the country and around the globe. Our Director of Predoctoral & Postdoctoral Education along with JAX Genomic Education coordinates regular professional development workshops and learning opportunities, check-ins each semester, and weekly office hours. As members of the trainee community, doctoral students participate in JAX-wide events, including a number of interest groups that organize activities outside the lab. Bar Harbor, Maine, and Farmington, Connecticut offer unique environments for recreation and entertainment.

Meeting the Grad: Sarah Holbrook

Hometown: Fort Fairfield, ME
Undergrad Institution: University of Maine
Undergrad major: BS Biology with Honors, Minors: Neuroscience and Psychology

What is your research focus?
Phenotyping neuromuscular degenerative disease mouse models and potential therapies for said diseases. In particular, I am studying Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress Type 1 (SMARD1) and assessing the efficacy of treatments such as gene therapy and/or pharmaceuticals.

Share something you have learned from your PI that makes you a better/wiser/more efficient scientist.
He has taught me to think of problems/projects like a car. Assess the frame and see what you can build upon and what needs to be replaced. If your car is making a weird sound, pop open the hood and diagnose the problem. Don’t ignore it. A lot of the time, you can fix it yourself much cheaper with the right parts, but also know when to collaborate with an expert with better tools to fix the issue. He has also helped me with my actual car making both the figurative and literal cars more approachable and less daunting.