Graduate Program in

Mathematical, Computational & Systems Biology

MCSB has various resource organizations to address specific needs of the students.  Most of the organizations are student-lead and/or student-organized.

MCSB Peer Mentoring

This program was started as a pilot, stopgap measure by a couple of MCSB students in 2019/2020, who felt that they can offer support to the younger students by sharing their experience in the program. Over the past few years, the program demonstrated its immense value to the MCSB community and it  continues to evolve and expand its scope to better serve the diverse needs of the MCSB students.

Each first-year MCSB student is matched with a senior MCSB student.  During the academic year, the pair meets at a set interval (weekly/monthly/quarterly) for a "check-in."  Additionally, the mentors and mentees will meet as a group for social/networking events twice a year.  This is a student-lead program for MCSB students, and all involvement are on a volunteer basis.

MCSB DEI Committee

Mission Statement:
Our mission is to promote a respectful and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and administrators of the MCSB program. Successfully upholding values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion can not be the work of a small few, but should be by and for the entire community. Our role is to facilitate communications between members of the MCSB community with the administration and executive leadership to catalyze change and advance the development of the program with the community values in mind. We embrace the rich perspectives and experiences from the diverse members of MCSB and are committed to promoting equal access and prosperity for all.

Who are we?
The MCSB DEI is a group of elected MCSB students and faculty that meet monthly to discuss matters related to clarifying best practices in the community and building on feedback regarding program structure, journal clubs, etc.

Current Student Members:
Amina Hussein
Alice Vo
Erica Ward
Negin Rahimzadeh
Pieter Derdeyn

Faculty Advisors:
Michelle Digman
Katrine Whiteson
German Enciso
John Lowengrub (ex officio)

MCSB DECADE

Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience (DECADE) is a joint program overseen by the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Graduate Division. Faculty Mentors and graduate student Representatives collaborate to improve Ph.D. and terminal M.A. program climate, equity, and diversity. For graduate students DECADE resources and events, visit: Graduate Division DECADE.

Mentors:
• Share best practices in graduate admissions and work with programs to recruit students who contribute to UCI's diversity
• Serve as an additional resource for graduate student concerns
• Collaborate with graduate students to put on professionalization workshops and community-building events that focus on equity and inclusion
• Work with other Mentors and Equity Advisors to address systemic inequities impacting graduate student success in their units

MCSB DECADE mentors: Chris Miles

MCSB DECADE Student Representative: Sarah Eldeen