Scripps Research’s Skaggs Graduate School awards doctoral degrees to 31st graduating class
Commencement ceremony will be livestreamed via Zoom and on institute’s Facebook page.
May 18, 2023
LA JOLLA, CA– The Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences, the education and training division of the nonprofit biomedical research institute Scripps Research, will award doctoral degrees to 41 graduate students at a commencement ceremony held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 19, 2023, on the institute’s La Jolla, California campus.
Students comprising this year’s graduating class represent the entire biomedical research spectrum of the 31 faculty members who served as their advisors and mentors, and in whose labs the students completed doctoral studies. From neuroscience, immunology and structural biology to chemistry, chemical biology and computational biology, the members of Skaggs Graduate School’s 2023 graduating class completed thesis research projects spanning a wide array of high-impact bioscience disciplines. In the process, many students tackled specific disease targets and complex problems in human health, including cancer, SARS-CoV-2, HIV, autism, leukemia, Ebola virus, stroke, antibiotic resistance, addiction and others.
“We’re excited to elevate the accomplishments of this year’s graduates, whose tenacity and creativity over the course of their studies made an impact in their respective fields and will continue doing so as they build careers as leaders in academia and industry,” says Philip Dawson, PhD, professor of chemistry and dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies at Scripps Research.
The Skaggs Graduate School provides students with the knowledge necessary for career success through innovative coursework presented by faculty members who are leaders and pioneers in their respective fields. Paired with extensive professional development workshops and seminars, educational outreach programs and community building opportunities, students develop a strong sense of how they can best employ their experience to positively impact the world. It is the program’s immersive focus on laboratory research, however, that encourages students to take risks, explore new avenues of inquiry and learn how to propel their research forward as independent scientists.
“Scientific judgment is built not by accumulation of knowledge or ideas, but by the experience of testing ideas through myriad failures,” says Tucker Huffman, one of the 41 students earning a doctoral degree at the 2023 ceremony and an advisee of Chemistry Professor Ryan A. Shenvi. “Scripps Research provided me with the resources and freedom to explore bold ideas and fail, serving as a crucible to refine my scientific judgment into one of my greatest professional assets.”
Upon the conclusion of the commencement ceremony, the number of individuals who count themselves as alumni of Scripps Research’s doctoral program will increase to nearly 900. Many of the 41 new PhD recipients have already taken the first steps on their career path. Some of this year’s graduates are extending their doctoral training into new research areas as postdoctoral scholars at universities and major academic research institutions. Still others have joined companies in the pharmaceutical and bioscience industries, or start-ups focused on cutting-edge biotech research and drug discovery. Many students apply their knowledge and experience to entirely different career paths, including food science, patent law, and the venture capital and financial advising industries.
Guests wishing to be a part of Friday’s ceremony may attend virtually via a live broadcast from Scripps Research. The commencement ceremony livestream is open to the public and registration is available at: scripps.edu/graduation2023. The event will also be livestreamed on the program’s Facebook page via Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/scrippsgradprgm). Detailed profiles of many of this year’s graduates can also be viewed on the institute’s 2023 Graduation webpage, or via the shortcut link: scripps.edu/2023grads.
For more information, contact press@scripps.edu