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TSRI and Oxford University Establish Joint Doctoral ProgramThe Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the University of Oxford have announced a joint graduate program in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, named the Skaggs Oxford Scholarships Program. This is the first time in its 800-year history that Britain's Oxford University has offered a degree jointly with another institution of higher learning. It is also the first such degree offered by TSRI. The Skaggs Oxford Scholarships Program, named for supermarket and drugstore leader L.S. Skaggs and his wife, Aline, will support 10 students during a five-year program of study. Upon completion of the program, Skaggs Oxford Scholars will receive a doctoral degree from TSRI and Oxford University. "It is an honor to be associated with Oxford University and its Department of Biochemistry," said TSRI President Richard A. Lerner. "Despite having quite different histories, our two institutions will now share a common path in this one regard—the education of the chemical biologists of the future." "The Skaggs Oxford Scholarships create unique opportunities for multidisciplinary research and learning at the highest level," said Oxford University Professor Raymond A. Dwek. "The Department of Biochemistry at Oxford is one of the largest in the world with outstanding scientists in structural biology, cell biology, and molecular genetics, who welcome these ties with TSRI and believe that many important research collaborations will result from these scholars having access to faculty on both campuses." Chemical biology is an emerging interdisciplinary field that combines specialties including organic chemistry, biology, and biophysics. It seeks to find answers to some of the most pressing scientific questions of our day—such as discovering the identities, structures, and mechanisms of proteins and genes implicated in human health and finding ways to exploit this knowledge to develop drugs and treatments to alleviate human suffering. Doctoral candidates selected as Skaggs Oxford Scholars will be enrolled at both institutions and spend two to three years studying biochemistry at Oxford University in the United Kingdom and two to three years exploring chemistry or biology at TSRI in La Jolla, California. January 1, 2004 is the application deadline for the first two scholarships, which will begin in the fall of 2004. "This is a tremendous opportunity for outstanding students who wish to pursue a course of study at two institutions at the forefront of science and medical innovation," said Jeffery Kelly, TSRI's vice president of academic affairs and dean of the Kellogg School of Science and Technology, the institute's graduate school. "Not only will it give them the highest quality education, it also provides exposure to two distinct cultures as part of the educational experience." "The Skaggs Scholarships will support integrated bi-institutional studies or the study of two distinct research problems over five years," said Mary Gregoriou, Biochemistry's director of graduate studies at Oxford. "This extended D.Phil./Ph.D. program should produce researchers ideally suited for the integrated biosciences of the future." L.S. Skaggs is the former chairman of American Stores Company, a supermarket and drug store holding company that grew under his direction from 11 stores to become the largest combined supermarket/drug store chain in the United States, owning Jewels Food Stores, Savon-Drugs, Star markets, Acme Markets, Osco Drug, and Lucky Stores. In 1999, American Stores was sold to Albertson's, Inc., a grocery store chain whose original founders included Skaggs' father. L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs' philanthropy supports Catholic education, scientific research, basic human needs, and wildlife preservation. The Skaggs Institute for Research, a charitable foundation created by the Skaggs in 1996, is TSRI's largest benefactor and to date has provided grants of more than $75 million to fund TSRI's renowned Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, as well as graduate, postdoctoral, and clinical research programs. Further information on the Skaggs Oxford Scholarships Program, including eligibility requirements and an application form, is available at www.scripps.edu/phd/skoxford.
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