Genetics

Anne Elizabeth Arnold
Plant Sciences

Deepta Bhattacharya
Immunobiology

Timothy Bolger, Executive Committee
Molecular and Cellular Biology

Alfred Bothwell
Immunobiology

Andrew Capaldi
Molecular & Cellular Biology

Paul Carini
Environmental Science Resources

Eli Chapman
Pharmacy

Qin M. Chen
Pharmacology

Jared Churko
Cellular & Molecular Medicine

Melanie Culver
Natural Resources and the Environment

Darren Cusanovich
Asthma/Airway Disease Research Center

Carol L. Dieckmann
Chemistry and Biochemistry

Katrina Dlugosch
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Thomas Doetschman
Cellular & Molecular Medicine

Renee Duckworth
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Nathan Ellis, Chair

Cellular & Molecular Medicine

David Enard
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Bentley Fane
Plant Sciences

Rachel Gallery, Executive Committee
Natural Resources and the Environment

James Galligan
Pharmacology & Toxicology

Felicia Goodrum Sterling
Immunobiology

Henk Granzier
Cellular & Molecular Medicine

Ryan Gutenkunst
Cellular & Molecular Biology

Jeremiah Hackett
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Michael F. Hammer
Arizona Research Laboratories

Nancy Horton
Chemistry and Biochemistry

Bonnie Hurwitz
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Jason H. Karnes
Pharmacy

John Kececioglu
Computer Science

Suwon Kim
Basic Medical Sciences

Walter Klimecki
Pharmacology

Yann Klimentidis, Executive Committee
Epidemiology

John Koprowski
Natural Resources and the Environment

Michael Kuhns
Immunobiology

Jingjing Liang
Pharmacy Practice and Science

Eric Lyons, Executive Committee
Plant Sciences

Keith Maggert, Vice Chair
Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Fernando Martinez
Pediatrics

Joanna Monti Masel, Executive Committee
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Fiona McCarthy
Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Laura Meredith
Natural Resources and the Environment

William Montfort
Chemistry and Biochemistry

Rebecca Mosher Harris
Plant Sciences

Janko Nikolich-Zugich
Immunobiology

Aikseng Ooi
Pharmacology

Marc J. Orbach
Plant Sciences

Megha Padi
Molecular and Cellular Biology

Ravishankar Palanivelu
Plant Sciences

William Duke Pauli
School of Plant Science

Linda Restifo
Neurology

Ingmar Riedel-Kruse
Molecular & Cellular Biology

Gregory Rogers
Cellular & Molecular Medicine

Casey Romanoski
Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Todd Schlenke, Executive Committee
Entomology

Monica Schmidt
Plant Sciences

Joyce Schroeder
Molecular & Cellular Biology

Catharine Smith
Pharmacology

Magdalene So
Immunobiology

Xiaoxiao Sun
Public Health

George Sutphin
Molecular and Cellular Biology

Joann Sweasy
Cancer Center Division

Frans E. Tax
Molecular & Cellular Biology

Jana U'Ren
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering

Donata Vercelli
Cellular & Molecular Medicine/Arizona Respiratory Center

James Bruce Walsh
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Joseph C. Watkins
Mathematics

Ted Weinert
Molecular & Cellular Biology

Travis Wheeler
Pharmacy Practice and Science

John Wiens
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Michael Worobey
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Ramin Yadegari
Plant Sciences

Guang Yao

Molecular & Cellular Biology

Arizona Respiratory Center

Arizona Research Laboratories

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
• Entomology
• Plant Sciences
• Natural Resources and the Environment

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

• Biomedical Engineering

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

• Basic Medical Sciences
• Cellular and Molecular Medicine
• Immunobiology
• Neurology
• Pediatrics
• Pharmacology
• Radiation Oncology

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Neuroscience

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

• School of Information

MEL & ENID ZUCKERMAN COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

• Epidemiology
• Public Health

By-Laws of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics

Preamble

The Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) is comprised of an integrated set of graduate-level educational activities, both classroom- and research-based, in the broad discipline of genetics. The Program awards Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Genetics. For the conferral of a Ph.D. degree, graduate students must conduct research for a dissertation. For the conferral of a M.S. degree, graduate students must conduct research for a thesis. The criteria for preparation of these documents are stated in the Handbook of the Genetics Program. Faculty members in the Program have primary appointments across many Colleges at the University of Arizona. The Executive Committee of the Genetics Program serves as the executive, administrative, and policy-making board for the Program. The Executive Committee is appointed by and responsible to the Dean of the Graduate College with the consent of the Genetics faculty. The organization and structure of the Genetics GIDP conforms to Graduate College policies.

In addition to its other functions, the Executive Committee, with input from the faculty of the Program, provides the direction and leadership necessary to maintain and foster excellence in the Genetics GIDP’s educational and research activities. In accordance with this mandate, the Executive Committee will regularly review and evaluate faculty membership, student progress, educational and mentoring activities of the program, recruitment, and any other activities that come under the purview of this GIDP. These By-Laws constitute the rules that govern the various functions of the Genetics GIDP.

Article I. Executive Committee of the Genetics GIDP

I.1. The Executive Committee is responsible for administering the Genetics graduate program, including (i) recruitment and admission of students into the Program, (ii) establishment of program curricula, (iii) establishment of requirements for advancing to candidacy and degree completion, (iv) periodic reviews, typically annually, of student progress, (v) promotion of an environment that facilitates scholarly activities in Genetics, (vi) organization of seminars, student colloquia, journal clubs, and other forums for communication of genetics research, (vii) strategic planning for the future development of the Program, (viii) raising and allocating funds for program activities, (ix) review of faculty membership and participation in the GIDP, and (x) reporting the Program’s activities and functions to the faculty and to the Dean of the Graduate College.

I.2. The Executive Committee will consist of no fewer than eight faculty members. The Committee should reflect the variety of disciplines across the Genetics GIDP with a minimum of five different departments represented on the Committee. The Chair will seek nominations of new Committee members from the faculty; the nomination process will reflect the diversity required for the Committee as a whole. Candidates will be selected by Genetics faculty vote. Appointment to the Committee requires a plurality of the votes. A quorum shall constitute one-third of the Genetics faculty members. Faculty members of the Executive Committee will serve a three-year term, except for the Chair and Vice-Chair, who are appointed under Article II.2 and Article III, respectively. Terms will be staggered so that generally two or three members of the Executive Committee rotate off the committee every one or two years. Faculty members of the Executive Committee may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.

I.3. There is one Genetics GIDP student representative, preferably at the level of Candidacy. Student representatives serve a one-year term and will be elected by the students in the graduate program. The student representative is a voting member of the Committee.

I.4. The Executive Committee will sanction the establishment of Standing and Ad-hoc Subcommittees as needed for the administration of the Program as defined in Article I, subsection 1.

Article II. Chair of Graduate Studies of the Genetics GIDP

II.1. The Chair of the Genetics GIDP, with the advice of the Executive Committee and with the input of the faculty, is granted those powers and responsibilities necessary for a well-functioning program.

II.2. Election of the Chair of the Genetics GIDP. The Dean of the Graduate College will appoint the Chair of the Genetics GIDP. At the end of the term of the Chair, a non-Chair member of the Executive Committee will call for nominations for Chair of the program and organize a vote by the Genetics Faculty. Appointment of the Chair of the Genetics GIDP requires a majority of votes by Genetics Faculty. A quorum shall constitute one-third of the Genetics faculty members. If no individual candidate for Chair receives a majority of votes, there will be a run-off between the two candidates with the most votes. The Chair will serve a five-year term with the possibility of one additional term by re-election.  

II.3. The duties of the Chair of the Genetics GIDP are as follows:

3a. With the advice of the Executive Committee, the Chair shall appoint Standing Subcommittees to oversee key functions of the GIDP, including student recruitment, student progress, educational curriculum, scholarly engagement (journal clubs, colloquia, etc.). These committees will appoint chairs to call and preside over their business meetings.

3b. With the advice of the Executive Committee, the Chair shall organize and submit appropriate competitive and non-competitive grants for the benefit of training students and advancing educational objectives of the program.

3c. The Chair shall call and preside over meetings of the GIDP, including

i. meetings of the Executive Committee to be held at least once a semester;

ii. meetings of the entire faculty of the Genetics GIDP to be held at least once per year.

3d. Administer the Genetics GIDP budget.

3e. Supervise the Program Coordinator.

3f. Advise the Dean of the Graduate College on issues pertinent to the Genetics GIDP.

3g. Report at minimum annually to the faculty members on the state of the Genetics GIDP.

Article III. Vice Chair of Graduate Studies of the Genetics GIDP

III.1. The Vice Chair of the Genetics GIDP will assist the Chair in the general well-functioning of the program and in those specific duties enumerated below.

III.2. The Vice Chair of the Genetics GIDP shall be appointed by the Chair with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee and faculty of the Genetics GIDP by a majority of votes with a quorum consisting of one third of the faculty members. The appointment as Vice Chair shall be made by the Dean of Graduate College. The Vice Chair shall serve on the Executive Committee. The Vice Chair’s term will run contemporaneously with the Chair, and the Vice Chair may serve two terms.

III.3. The duties of the Vice Chair of the Genetics GIDP shall be as follows:

3a. Oversee the establishment of qualifying and dissertation committees.

3b. Administer curricular activities by serving as Chair of the Curriculum Committee and execute the educational directives of the Executive Committee.

3c. Administer student academic affairs.

3d. Undertake those additional tasks that can reasonably be assigned by the Chair.

3e. Report regularly to the Chair and Executive Committee on those matters relating to the Vice Chair’s duties.

Article IV. Membership

IV.1. The Genetics GIDP faculty consist of tenured, tenure-eligible, Clinical-Series and Research-Series faculty at the University of Arizona who participate in research and education in genetics.

IV.2. Membership criteria.

2a. Faculty members will be nominated by submitting a request for membership, consisting of a cover letter and a current curriculum vitae, to the Executive Committee. Criteria for membership shall include interest in participation in graduate teaching and research and demonstrated current scholastic activity in the broad field of genetics. Therefore, the cover letter should include a statement of interest addressing these points.

2b. Upon evaluation of the request, the Executive Committee will vote on the nominee. If a nominee receives a two-thirds majority vote, the nomination will be forwarded to the Associate Director of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs Administration who authorizes membership. New members are required to present a research seminar in the Genetics Seminar Series within one year of joining the Genetics GIDP Program. Continuation of membership is contingent upon meeting the same criteria at periodic review by the Executive Committee.

2c. Faculty of the Genetics GIDP can be asked to leave the Program if they fail to participate in the activities of the Program. Participation in the Program includes service on a subcommittee, functioning as the major advisor of a graduate student in the program, serving on the dissertation or thesis committee of a graduate student in the program, teaching a graduate course or seminar in genetics, or continued scholarly productivity in genetics.

2d. Members dropped from membership may reapply for membership as outlined in Article III, section 2a.

IV.3. Membership responsibilities.

3a. Tenure-track faculty and career-track faculty who have been appointed as members of the Graduate Faculty and who are appointed in the Genetics GIDP by the Executive Committee may serve as major advisors of graduate students in the program.

3b. Faculty of the Genetics GIDP serve on subcommittees of the program, participate in teaching, function as major advisors to graduate students in the program, serve on dissertation or thesis committees, or participate in other scholarly activities of the program.

3c. Faculty serving as major advisors for Ph.D. students in the program are expected to share in the support of their graduate students.

IV.4. Voting. Each faculty member of the Genetics GIDP shall have one vote on matters brought to the Program by the Executive Committee. A quorum shall constitute one-third of the faculty membership.

IV.5. Regular surveys of Genetics GIDP members will be used to monitor the participation and enthusiasm of the faculty.

Article V. Amendments

These By-Laws will be reviewed and amended as needed by majority vote of the Executive Committee and approved by a two-thirds vote of the Genetics faculty. A quorum shall constitute one-third of the Genetics faculty.

Revised for EC review April 20, 2023, by Program Coordinator, Chair, and Vice Chair; reviewed by EC May 8, 2023; approved by faculty vote May 30, 2023.